


a way out

by neogotmyheart



Series: you may regret this [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, CEO, Gen, Heavy Angst, Organized Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:23:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 48,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20031811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neogotmyheart/pseuds/neogotmyheart
Summary: taeyong was born into this life and raised to be the ceo of his father’s dreams. he never got to have a say in what he wanted for himself until he was given a choice between two sides of the company. suddenly, it wasn’t about his own wants anymore but entirely about protecting the lives of the ones closest to him.





	a way out

**Author's Note:**

> this is a spinoff for my main series you may regret this. i would suggest reading that first to avoid any spoilers!

Ever since Taeyong was young, he refused to trust anyone. Life was filled with social climbers and greedy individuals that couldn’t care less about building an actual relationship. They viewed Taeyong as a way to get closer to their goal of being rich and successful, even though he was so far removed from the family business. All the boy was seen as was a way up. If they wanted to get close to his dad, he was an easy tool. Suggest play dates, invite him to birthday parties, offer to carpool for school. It was foolish of them to think it would ever work. When they realized that all they would ever see was his nanny, Taeyong suddenly stopped getting invited to anything at all. He was no longer of any use to the ones so keen on stepping on him to get to the top.

Taeyong never minded solitude. It gave him time to figure out what the red flags were so he could notice them right away. At a young age, the boy had already learned to watch his back. His brother, Mark, was the only person he felt like he could trust in the world. He had more respect for Mark than he would ever like to admit. Mark managed to guard his heart and protect himself while being open and friendly. He was personable and outgoing. He knew how to make connections without getting attached. He was a businessman from birth.

Taeyong, on the other hand, had to be made into a businessman. It took years of shaping and conforming his personality to become someone that could lead a company. He knew he couldn’t show an ounce of kindness without letting his feelings get involved. He was much too sensitive to be in any sort of position of power. It was in his nature to trust people and trust them fully and it was a habit he didn’t know how to break. As a result, he placed a wall between him and everyone he met. If he never allowed anyone to get close, he would never have to worry about making a mistake. It was how he became the cold and distant son his father was so proud of.

Being CEO was never something Taeyong wanted. He and Mark consistently talked about how when the time came, they would split the demands of the job. Neither wanted to shoulder the burden of such an important company alone. It didn’t change the fact that Taeyong hoped Mark would develop a taste for power and request to have the whole company. When he realized that wouldn’t happen, he settled for sharing the business as originally planned. It was one thing for Mark to want total control and another to force it upon him.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad arrangement. As siblings, they had their personal disagreements. However, when it came to business, they saw eye to eye. They were raised in the home of a CEO. Smart business choices were taught to them as soon as they could read. 

Taeyong tended to be less attentive during his father’s lectures. He would sketch on paper, pretending to take notes when really he was planning for a new painting. Any free time he had was spent covering canvases with a variety of colors as he tried to recreate his favorite artists’ works in a way that was fitting to his own style. While Mark invested in business plans and marketing techniques, Taeyong studied the history of art as he became desperate to become well-versed in everything imaginable. He could leave this world behind and pursue art. He would be the burnout of the family if he never succeeded, but it was better than doing something he hated. Instead of being a cold, closed off businessman, he could be a mysterious and aloof tortured artist. That was a much more appealing personality trope.

When Taeyong was 18, with Mark only being 15, their father led them through the building discussing everything that would soon be under their control. He talked about possible ways to divvy up responsibilities. While Mark’s eyes filled with excitement, all Taeyong felt was dread. He wished he could just be an artist and give the entire company to his brother since this was something he actually wanted. The thought of betrayal became more and more tempting as time carried on. With college applications coming up, Taeyong had to bite down his wants for himself and remind himself of his family.

He followed his father through the expansive building, nudging Mark any time he saw something he felt might interest the younger. The longer they spent in the tower, the more Taeyong knew he didn’t belong. This wasn’t him and it never was. No matter how hard he tried to sink into the role his father had raised him to take, he would never be ready for this. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could be successful in his passion before his father passed and left the company to him. All he needed was a genuine reason to leave this all behind.

When they reached the top floor, their father turned to face the two boys. “This is where things get interesting.”   
A knot twisted in Taeyong’s stomach as he looked around the office space. The set up was normal, but the way a keycard was needed to access the floor made the whole environment feel wrong. Even in the innovation hub, you only needed a keycard for certain rooms on random floors. To have an entire floor restricted raised suspicions. Mark was too young to catch onto the implications just yet. A wide smile spread across his face as he took in the room he was standing in.

Once they were sat in their father’s office, the older man pulled out a file from the cabinet next to him. “As a CEO, sometimes you have to make deals that you don’t always want out in the public. While certain things may be deemed illegal, they make a lot of money. One of you will need to be responsible for this side of the business. It is up to the two of you to decide who will do it when I pass.”

“What all would have to be done?” Taeyong asked reluctantly. Just calling the activity illegal wasn’t exactly the most in depth description of the position.

His father leaned back in his chair. “Well, we deal drugs. That’s a huge part of things. We also have clubs where we work with a few prostitution rings in order to supply additional services. We trade guns on the black market as well as a few gangs in town. We keep the underground thriving and they pay us well for supporting them.”

Taeyong felt as if he could throw up. When he looked at his brother, Mark seemed to be feeling the same way. Any thoughts of fleeing were gone now that he knew this information. He needed to keep Mark removed from this if at all possible. He was the only one who had been there for him and now it was Taeyong’s turn to return the favor.

“No need to discuss it. I’ll do it.”

Mark’s eyes widened as he looked at him. If he wanted to protest, he said nothing. A 15-year-old boy really didn’t have the drive to participate in organized crime. If Taeyong let this conversation go until his father passed, there was a good chance that Mark would be old enough to put up a fight. He needed to stake his claim on this half of the company while he could do so easily.

His father smiled, beaming with pride. He really thought his son wanted to do this. If Taeyong genuinely did want to participate in shady deals and human trafficking, that would never be anything to be proud of. If the roles were switched, he would be concerned about how he was raising his son. Maybe his father was just glad Taeyong was finally showing an interest in the company he was destined to take over.

Ever since that day, Taeyong had begun working at the company as he learned all the different tasks he would have to do, each one left him more disgusted than the last. When the summer before University rolled around, Taeyong worked full time on the top floor. He was fluent in the ins and outs of the underground. He could recognize a bad deal the second the proposal landed on his desk. His hatred for the job never changed but that didn’t mean he wasn’t good at it. The facade he spent his whole life building turned out to be of use for this particular sector of the business. He had mastered the art of coming off as a cunning and vengeful young man all before turning 20.

With no friends and no ambitions, Taeyong started University. He was enrolled in all business classes, forced to throw his hobby away. Art was a nice thing to dream about, but it wasn’t his destiny in this lifetime. He had much bigger things to worry about now, much to his dismay. His classes were set up so he could be at school all morning and at work every afternoon. His father wasn’t even dead yet and Taeyong already felt as if he was running everything. 

The current CEO was smart but he was blinded by greed. He looked over deals halfheartedly, only caring about the dollar amount at the bottom of a proposal. He got himself involved in ventures blindly and without thinking about the consequences if things went south. It was genuinely a miracle that he had yet to be caught. When Taeyong started overseeing a few projects, it became much safer, but very dangerous people were becoming upset by the fact that they weren’t getting an automatic agreement. He almost worried that his father would force him to step back down until he became compliant enough to pass everything through. Luckily, he never said a word.

Classes weren’t hard, but they were extremely lonely as much as he hated to admit it. He didn’t talk to anyone and no one approached him. There was a risk that if people knew who he was, they would try and get close to him just for the sake of getting a job. Lee was a common name but with his childhood being a constant reminder of people’s bad intentions, he thought solitude was better.

The only person he was even remotely close to was Qian Kun. He was a pre-medical student pursuing a minor in business. They became fast friends because of the fact that Kun was too busy to really have a friendship that went deeper than surface level. Taeyong allowed himself to be comfortable around him, knowing that he couldn’t actually do much harm. They didn’t see each other past freshman year, but they did stay in touch as they supported each other and the difficult paths that lay ahead of them both.

Jung Jaehyun, on the other hand, had a different plan. When Taeyong’s second year of University rolled around, he met the friendly freshman. Fate had to have worked in the younger’s favor because he shared three classes with Taeyong and chose to sit next to him in all of them. The first few weeks passed with no conversation before Jaehyun reluctantly introduced himself.

“So, we haven’t actually met yet. I’m Jaehyun.” He smiled at the older boy, extending his hand.

Taeyong looked up, uncertainty probably reflecting in his eyes as he accepted the outstretched hand. “Taeyong.”

“Safe to assume you’re a business major?” It was a weak attempt at a joke, but it didn’t go unappreciated.

Taeyong had to remember the promise he made to himself. Business first. The only way he could keep Mark safe was if he prioritized his work. He didn’t have time to buddy up to a stranger. He answered as coolly as possible despite his want to just give in and make a single friend. God knew it would be nice to not be completely alone. “Yep.”

“Okay, cool. Well, I hope we can become friends since we share so many classes together. Plus, it looks like you could need one.” He gathered his things and walked out of the classroom, leaving Taeyong sitting alone.

Taeyong wanted to scoff in his face. He wanted to storm out and not give a second thought to the boy but unfortunately, he was right. He did need a friend and Jaehyun seemed kind enough to not use him for his name or his future position.

Taeyong mentally tightened the leash on himself. He had spoken to him once and was already allowing himself to let down barriers. He didn’t even know Jaehyun but something about the boy made him seem trustworthy. 

Burying his face in his hands, he rubbed his forehead slowly, hoping to regain just an ounce of dignity. Was he so desperate for human contact that he would throw himself at the feet of the first person that talked to him? He gathered his stuff slowly before making his way to the parking lot.

Even if Jaehyun was worthy of Taeyong’s time, Taeyong was definitely not worthy of his. Why would someone like that burden themselves to someone like him? Taeyong had basically discarded his entire personality just for the sake of being a successful businessman. Jaehyun seemed like he had an entire world ahead of him. He had a bright personality and a welcoming smile. The fact that he approached Taeyong for the sheer reason of feeling like he needed a friend made him seem like too good of a person to get wrapped up in the mess that was Taeyong’s life.

At dinner that night, he picked at his food slowly. He hardly had an appetite anymore and he wasn’t sure what to blame it on. Was it the never-ending stress of his job? The constant fear that never left him no matter where he was? Maybe, it was the pressing emptiness that weighed so heavy on his very soul that made food suddenly undesirable?

“Hey.” Mark’s voice drew him back to the present as he looked at his brother sitting across from him. “Are you okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”

“You want the truth?” Mark was 17 now. It wasn’t old enough to hear all of Taeyong’s trouble and strife, but it was enough to understand that Taeyong wasn’t happy.

Mark nodded, taking a bite of his steak before wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Don’t try and lie to me when you very clearly hate your life.”

Taeyoung let out a huff of breath. “That obvious, huh?”

“You’re in college and you act like Dad. It’s kind of scary.” Mark said. He had yet to develop tactfulness with his youth but it didn’t bother the older too much. Sometimes the unfiltered honesty was exactly what he needed.

Taeyong looked at him for a second. “I act like Dad?”

Mark nodded. “You’ve always acted like an uncaring asshole, but you’ve never actually been one. You’re starting to get there though.”   
“Ouch, okay.” It felt like a swift slap in the face but he supposed that he deserved it.

Mark’s eyes widened as he realized the harshness of his words. “Shit. I’m sorry. That was really rude. It’s just that, I don’t know, you’re my brother, you know? You- We- Ugh. It’s supposed to be you and me. We can’t depend on him.”

“I know. I didn’t know it had gotten so bad.” Whatever glimpse of hunger Taeyong had was gone. He pushed his plate away from him just for Mark to push it back.

“Eat. I haven’t seen you eat in weeks.”

“Haven’t been hungry.”

Mark’s eyes narrow as he looked over him. He suddenly looked so much older than a fresh-faced 17-year-old. He had just started his third year of high school but for a second, it looked like he had already been working in the office for years. The sight terrified Taeyong. 

“I don’t care if you’re hungry. You’re all I have and I won’t lose you.”

Realization flooded through Taeyong’s body. Mark was who he was living for and he had completely neglected him while he was busy wallowing in self-pity. He chose this and he had to make do with his choices no matter how unhappy they had made him. “I’m supposed to be the older brother. It’s my job to look after you; not the other way around.”

“Let someone help you for a change. If you won’t let me, then please, Yong, let someone else be there for you.”

The next day in class, Taeyong chose to greet Jaehyun with a smile. “I’m sorry if I was rude yesterday. I haven’t exactly had the best of weeks.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. Everyone has bad days. You feel any better?”

The sincerity in his voice was so scary. Taeyong chose to take it at face value. “Better may not be the word to use, but motivated to get there at least.”

Jaehyun smiled at him. “Hey, we have a partner project coming up. I figured we could just be partners if you wanted to get lunch and maybe start looking at it early.”

His learned instincts told him to run. No one in this world deserved his trust because anyone could put Mark at risk. Instead, he swallowed his doubts and forced a smile on his face. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Taeyong learned a lot about Jaehyun that day. The first thing being that he was an oversharer. 18 with nothing to lose, he talked about his family and his relationship with them. Taeyong envied the way he talked about his mother seeing as he never had his mother present in his life. He only had a nanny that would change every year. It has been ingrained in his mind since he was a child to not get attached to anyone. He tried not to let jealousy overtake him as he listened to the boy. 

Jaehyun was bright and carefree. He laughed with ease and wore a smile constantly. His dimples made him look so young and innocent, and Taeyong hoped the world never took that from him. 

When the other shifted to talk about school, Taeyong slipped into the conversation much easier. Jaehyun must have noticed the way his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly as he asked him questions and encouraged him to share in the conversation. Unfortunately, he didn’t have as much to share as Jaehyun did, but the younger took everything that was said gratefully, offering Taeyong the chance to expand on his answers if he wanted or move on if he didn’t have anything else to say. Conversation with Jaehyun flowed naturally and he was thankful. He didn’t have a lot of social skills outside of the office and business events so to have the conversation steered for him made him feel a lot more comfortable. 

“Well, I have a class to go to. I talked too much for us to work on the project.” Jaehyun sighed.

“No, it’s okay. I should be going soon anyway. Thank you for this.” Taeyong’s gratitude carried more of a weight than the boy would ever understand, but he seemed to understand anyway as his eyes softened and he gave Taeyong a soft smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The next days carried on similarly. They would agree to work on the project before conversation would derail and flow to something like classes or even sports once or twice. When Jaehyun offered to take him back to his dorm to play video games, Taeyong politely declined.

“I have work, actually. I’m sorry.” For the first time in probably his whole life, Taeyong was genuinely upset by the thought of turning down an invitation. 

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had a job.”

“It’s just at my Dad’s work. He wants me to take over the family business one day so I guess I have to learn the ropes.”

“That explains the suits.” Jaehyun nodded towards the expensive set. “Well, I’ll see you later, then.”

Work became a lot harder to sit through now that Taeyong actually had someone he wanted to spend time with. In just a few short weeks time, he was completely absent at work. Jaehyun had told him about games he could play on his phone and most of the time was spent doing that instead of reviewing the cases like his father asked. He would let a pile stack up on his desk and sort through them quickly, no longer taking the time to review each detail like he used to. 

One afternoon when he was in the middle of a match, his office door opened suddenly. Taeyong threw his phone into the drawer before turning his attention to the guest. As soon as he saw Mark, he relaxed instantly. His brother let out a loud laugh as soon as the door closed behind him.

“Did I scare you or something?”

Taeyong laughed with him. “Honestly, yeah. I thought I was about to get slammed for slacking off at work.”

The younger sat in the chair across from the desk. “So that’s what you do at work all day now? Sit on your phone?”

Taeyong rubbed his forehead, slightly embarrassed. “Honestly, yeah.”

“It explains why you’re so relaxed now. No 20 year old should be working as hard as you do.”

Taeyong sighed, leaning back in the large desk chair. He felt swallowed by the high back and exquisite leather. The office made him feel small in every way imaginable. “Tell Dad that.”

“I’d rather not talk to him.” Mark sighed. Things with their father had gotten a lot harder lately. He hounded Mark about his grades, saying they were unacceptable for a future CEO. Both sons were expected in the office more often than not though Mark rarely complied. He was too busy receiving tutoring that he was forced to seek out for his grades. Taeyong could slowly see his excitement for the job burning out with the pressure that was placed on his shoulders.

“That’s fair.”

Mark seemed eager to change the subject, steering the conversation back towards the older. “Hey, how have things been lately? You seem to be feeling a lot better.”

“Me and a friend have been getting lunch every day and it’s nice,” Taeyong admitted. It was nice to just feel like he had someone else. Even if he hadn’t completely opened up to Jaehyun yet, at least it was something he thought about now. “I love you, but I think I needed to talk to someone besides you.”

Mark went slack jaw, exaggerating his shock. “Taeyong, are you telling me… you actually  _ talked  _ to someone?”

“He talked to me but I didn’t tell him to fuck off.” The older boy shot back causing his younger brother to laugh again. It was nice to finally be able to joke around. Taeyong hadn’t felt such freedom in months.

“Invite him over.”

Taeyong stared at him for a second like he just suggested getting a dog for the office space. “Why? So I have to tell him who we are?”

“Is that so bad?” Mark asked, eyebrows scrunching together. “He’s made it a couple of weeks without you just writing him off.”

“I don’t know.” Taeyong shook his head, looking at the stack of papers left untouched throughout his time in the office. “Maybe soon. I just… This is a big enough step for me already.”

“You need to loosen up.”

“You remember which side of the business I chose right?” There was a reason Taeyong wasn’t what many would call laid back and relaxed. He had the future of the underground sitting on his shoulders while he tried to figure out how he wanted things to be. Did he want to continue his father’s legacy and indulge in things that made him sick just for the sake of furthering the business? 

Mark picked up a contract proposal from the corner of the desk, flipping through it before wincing and putting it back. “Why did you choose this? Seems miserable and from what I just saw, not exactly ethical.”

“I didn’t want you wrapped up in it.” It was a simple response and it was the truth.

“You never wanted any of this.” Mark stared at him, stating rather than asking.

The other shook their head in response To him, it was obvious that this situation was less than ideal. “I never had a choice, Mark. Please don’t pity me now.”

“I just can’t help but feel like it’s my fault.”

“I would have been in this seat no matter what. You’re the nice brother and I’m the mean one. It’s always been that way.”

Mark looked at him, eyes so genuine Taeyong feared for his future. “You’re a better person than I’ll ever be. You’ve given up your entire life for me and have never given it another thought. I just sit back and let you do it.”

“You would have never been able to convince me to step down.”

“I know. Because you’re more of a man than I’ll ever be.”

“I’m 20 and you’re 17. We shouldn’t be talking like this.”

“Thank Mom and Dad for forcing us to raise ourselves.” Mark stood up, slapping the table. “I wanna meet your one and only friend at some point.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

Nights went by quickly and most of them were spent in Jaehyun’s dorm, the small space becoming more of a home than the mansion down the road. Jaehyun’s roommate was hardly ever in the room and it was a frequent debate on whether or not he was moving out considering every time Taeyong would come over, more stuff would be missing. 

He sat in the middle of the floor one night, brush attempting to make even strokes across the canvas. He had taken to painting in the dorm room despite the fact that the paint fumes filled the tiny area probably making the two boys sick from the smell. The sounds of Jaehyun’s video game echoed as Taeyong sat back, looking around the room. He couldn’t help but notice that the bed was stripped bare of any sheets before feeling guilt leave his chest. He wouldn’t have to worry about invading someone else’s space anymore.

“You could move in, you know,” Jaehyun said, chewing on a straw from his now melted iced coffee while his eyes never left the screen. “I won’t have a roommate anymore and you’re here all the time anyway.”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t leave my brother with my dad.” Taeyoung sighed, dipping his brush in the water.

Jaehyun hit pause before turning on his bed to face Taeyong. “Is everything… okay… at home. It’s really personal and I know that you like to avoid talking about yourself. I’m just worried.”

Taeyong froze. He knew he would have to tell Jaehyun eventually, but he was enjoying his best friend living in ignorance. He took a deep breath and picked up all his supplies, setting them on the old roommate’s desk. “Let’s take a drive.”

On the way there, Taeyong remained silent. He didn’t really know what to say to the boy. The silence was clearly making Jaehyun nervous because Taeyong could see his friend playing with his hands in the passenger seat, staring out the window as they drove to the opposite side of town. Jaehyun wasn’t from Seoul so he wasn’t familiar with the nicer neighborhoods. Pulling into the apartment building’s garage, Jaehyun furrowed his brows as he noticed all the expensive cars filling the spots. Taeyong opted for a simple car as to not draw more attention to himself.

Taeyong parked and led his best friend into the building, taking the elevator up to the top floor. Jaehyun’s confusion furthered as the older boy unlocked the penthouse door with his key, leading him inside. His friend froze in the entryway, attempting to take everything in.

“So what’s the business your dad owns?” Jaehyun asked quietly, marveling at the large space and sleek furniture. The room looked like something staged for a magazine. Taeyong’s family spent all of their time in separate quarters leaving the common areas to look spotless at all times. 

“Lee Enterprises.”

Jaehyun’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you right.”

“You did,” Taeyong confirmed. The starstruck look in Jaehyun’s eyes was exactly what he was afraid of. He was a business major. Staying close to Taeyong would be a guaranteed job if he played his cards right.

He stood there nodding for a second. “So your dad is a grade A ass, huh?”

Taeyong couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him. “That’s what you care about?”

“I mean, yeah. Any time I ask about him, you avoid it and now you don’t wanna leave your brother with him.”

“I just basically told you I was the heir to the biggest company in Korea and you wanna talk about how my dad is a piece of shit?”

“Who cares about the company. I care about you.”

Taeyong couldn’t help but stare at him. “Why?”

Jaehyun shrugged. “Because you’re my friend. I didn’t hang out with you to brag about who you are. I didn’t even know until just now.”

Taeyong turned away, leading him farther into the apartment so he could let his tears flow freely without the other seeing. Never could he ever think that someone could want to be friends with him for something other than his money. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing to offer except his position. Hearing Jaehyun say those words so sincerely gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be something more than what he had limited himself to be.

He opened the door to his room and Jaehyun closed it behind him before walking over to a chair in the middle of the main area. Once he sat down, he stared at the easel in the corner of the lofted part of the room and the tarp that had a permanent residence on the floor. The paint was still strewn everywhere and a canvas was left half-finished. Taeyong suddenly felt self-conscious about his work even though he had painted in front of the other plenty of times before. Never had Jaehyun so deeply analyzed the work.

Jaehyun turned to look at him, eyes suddenly full of sympathy and for the first time, he didn’t hate it. He welcomed the connection Jaehyun felt with him and allowed something deeper to form between them. 

“You can’t get out of this, can you?”

Taeyong shook his head slowly while Jaehyun nodded in acceptance. 

“I wanted to. I was going to try but-” Taeyong broke off quietly. “I can’t leave it all to Mark.”

“You’re a good person, Taeyong. I hope all your sacrifices will pay off one day.”

He didn’t even try to stop the tears this time, fully releasing years of pain into choked sobs. He couldn’t even remember the last time he cried. Ever since he was young, he was told it was a sign of weakness. Repressing emotions was something that came so naturally to him now, he didn’t even know when it was happening. Now he stood in the middle of his room, shaking as his one and only friend was making long strides over to him. Taeyong couldn’t even breathe under the tightness of Jaehun’s embrace and he welcomed it. 

His entire life had been filled with nothing. It was an oxymoron to constantly feel the weight of emptiness, but Taeyong knew that it was the heaviest from the way his shoulders ached. He reached his hands to the back of Jaehyun’s shirt, grasping onto the material. He was so small in this apartment, this room, in this teenage boy’s arms. Yet, he was supposed to lead illegal activity in Seoul and keep the underground running.

When Jaehyun finally let go, Taeyong had managed to calm down a little. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be you. We genuinely could not have had more different upbringings.” Jaehyun whispered, leaning up again the nearest wall before sliding down it. “Man, I was sent to college to major in business just for the sake of having a job. They’re not exactly easy to come by in my hometown so they thought… I don’t know what they thought.”

“Probably that you could get a job at someplace like Lee.”

Jaehyun laughed, shaking his head. “Probably. I don’t know. Is it bad that I don’t even want to do business?”

“I don’t blame you considering I don’t either.” Taeyong stared at the ceiling, still embarrassed by his emotions and not wanting to look at the boy next to him.

“Right, duh.”

Taeyong couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s comment. They had both gotten themselves into situations they didn’t want to be in, but at least Jaehyun could still get out of this. He could switch his major and find a passion while also making enough money to support himself.

As if reading what the other was thinking, Jaehyun spoke up again. “I don’t care about anything else. It’s weird. I just feel like I don’t care about anything. At least with business, there’s a future for me.”

Taeyong wanted to tell him that he could have a future in something else, but seeing as they grew up so differently, he was afraid it would come across as insensitive. The conversation seemed like a rather depressing dead end. Neither of them wanted this but felt forced into it for surprisingly the same reason: familial expectations.

“Did you really mean it when you said I could move in?” He changed the subject, hoping to make Jaehyun feel a little better.

“If you want to, I’d be happy to have you.”

Living with Jaehyun came so easily, it was almost like they had always been that way. The younger didn’t mind the mess of the paint knowing that it would be picked up by morning. Taeyong liked the way Jaehyun could zone out so easily while playing his video games because it gave him the alone time he so desperately needed. Moving in with Jaehyun made him aware of the needs he had outside of solitude. For example, he needed a structured routine. He also needed time with his friend just as much as he needed time alone. It didn’t take long for Jaehyun to pick up on Taeyong’s silent cues and meet his needs with ease. He didn’t know how two people could live so easily together, but he was thankful for it.

Taeyong still wasn’t sure he wanted him to meet Mark just yet. Spending so much time with someone outside of his family was already a big enough step for him, introducing him to his brother was a step too far for where Taeyong was at emotionally. He trusted Jaehyun with certain aspects of his life but not his whole life and definitely not Mark’s. Jaehyun would ask about the younger sibling and Taeyong would smile politely, saying maybe one day. The other seemed to pick up on Taeyong’s resistance and eventually quit asking, recognizing the unease that arose every time he asked. 

When Mark started college and Taeyong and Jaehyun had moved into an apartment of their own, Taeyong finally bit the bullet and introduced the two. Mark took to liking Jaehyun very quickly seeing as it was Taeyong’s one and only friend. His younger brother preferred to be in the cramped apartment that was a quarter of the size of their parent’s living room. The three would play video games together over greasy pizza and cheap beer without a care in the world. Every now and then, Taeyong felt like he was a normal college student with a world of opportunities  _ and choices  _ ahead of him. Of course, the illusion would fade when he and Mark found themselves in the office Monday morning.

During their lunch break one day, Mark was extremely quiet and it made Taeyong feel uneasy. The boy had a habit of unconsciously filling the silence with chatter so to have him be without words was unsettling. As Taeyong went to ask if he was okay, Mark provided an answer as if seeing the question coming.

“How do you keep things from Jaehyun?” He asked, nervousness noticeable in the way his voice caught throughout the sentence, words coming out with little confidence.

Taeyong shrugged, picking at his lunch while he tried to find the desire to eat it. “I just don’t talk about it.”

Mark’s face fell. “I was hoping you would say that you don’t keep anything from him anymore.”

“Mark, I can’t tell him. I know he’s my best friend, but it would be putting everything at risk.” He said it as if it were obvious. His reasoning for hiding the truth about his position should be clear, but he couldn’t help but understand Mark’s hopeful outlook.

“You can trust him.” Mark defended him, eyes wide as he tried to convince the older. “I’ve met him and I know he cares about you.”

Taeyong shook his head. “I don’t care how much he cares for me. It doesn’t matter how much I trust him and want to tell him. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s 20 and it would be risking everyone’s safety, especially yours, to have him know.”

Mark looked down at his hands, pushing his food away from him while he worried his bottom lip. “I’ve been seeing someone,” he whispered.

“Mark,” Taeyong began, not wanting to lecture him. Fear churned in his stomach as he thought about losing his brother to a girl. One single person could take everything. The want for Mark to be happy was as strong as his desire for him to be safe, but in times like this, the latter outweighed the former.

He sighed. “I know. It’s stupid. I’m risking everything. I wanted you to tell me that Jaehyun knew so that I knew I could talk to her, but I guess not.”

“How long have you been seeing her?”

“Like three months?” He looked up at his brother. “I’m gonna tell her that I’m the heir to Lee, but it just feels  _ wrong  _ to not tell her everything that’s happening.”

“You can tell her when you’re married.”

Mark laughed. “I’ll have to tell her before that. She needs to know the type of shit I’m wrapped up in.”

Taeyong wasn’t laughing seeing as he wasn’t kidding. Mark needed to be confident about her staying by his side before she could know the truth. Marriage was the only guarantee. “If you do that, you’ll have to kill her if you break up. You don’t understand the danger you’ll be putting her in by telling her.”

“Fuck.” Mark rubbed his forehead with his hand before leaning back in the cold break room chair. “This sucks.”

“Why do you think I haven’t dated anyone?” Taeyong asked. Putting his heart on the line wasn’t worth the risk.

“Because you hate everyone except me and Jaehyun.” He teased even though they both knew that was far from the truth. Taeyong desired relationships just like any other person, he just didn’t think they were realistic.

“You know I don’t want to.”

“I hate seeing you so isolated. I’m glad you met Jaehyun. I don’t know how he got through to you, but I’m glad he did.”

Taeyong nodded in agreement, not wanting to say it out loud. It gave Jaehyun too much power. It had been over two years since he met the boy, but it didn’t change the fact that he was still scared. He was terrified, actually. This is the first time he’s ever felt responsible with another person like this. Mark was a different story. Nothing he could have done would have kept his brother out of this. But Jaehyun… Jaehyun could stay out of it if Taeyong was smart enough.

“You’d like Minseo.” Mark’s voice was quiet but his smile was enough to show just how much he cared for the girl. Taeyong’s heart soared while simultaneously breaking. He wanted so desperately to be happy for his brother. Mark’s cheeks had a faint red painted on them and his smile had shifted into a full grin when his screen lit up with her name. 

“If you like her, I’m sure I would. Just be smart, please.” Taeyong warned. He wanted to meet her but what he really desired was for everything to be under normal circumstances instead of the twisted, fucked-up lie they had to tell in order to protect family secrets. Mark was still trying to live a typical life while Taeyong had given up on that so long ago. 

Not even a month later, their father pulled them into his office and setting the two down. He had a spread of profiles on his desk with statistics listed out under each person’s face. Taeyong tried to get a glimpse of them, but the older man drew his two sons’ attention by clearing his throat.

“There has been an assassination attempt by one of the smaller gangs in town.”

Taeyong looked at him, realization coursing through his veins as his body went rigid. The words fully processed in his mind as his heartbeat accelerated. Someone tried to kill his dad.

His father began splitting the files and creating a small stack. “They might possibly target you as well, so I want you to go through these files and pick a bodyguard.”

Mark shook his head. “Wait, when will they be with us?”

“All the time. I won’t leave you unprotected.”

Taeyong looked at the files carefully, understanding the implication. He would have to tell Jaehyun at least something if not everything. How else could he reasonably explain a bodyguard practically moving into their apartment and refusing to leave his side no matter what. The files were filled with multiple skilled men and women, but Taeyong had a different idea for who could protect his side. There was already someone he trusted and if informing his friend about the company was inevitable, he could at least prevent an awkward presence lurking around.

“What if I want someone who isn’t on your list?” Taeyong asked, giving the files back by setting them on the desk.

“They would have to prove that they’re able to protect you if necessary.” His father answered while Mark looked on, confusion evident in his face by the way his brows furrowed together.

He stood up. “Give me a month.”

“We don’t have a month.”

“I’m not negotiating. I’ll bring my choice to the office in a month and you’ll be more than welcome to decide if he’s worthy.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he walked out of the office, immediately calling his best friend.

“Hey, I was just about to call you. I’m making dinner. Will you be home in time?”

“I’m coming home now, but Jae, we need to talk.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” Jaehyun joked over the receiver.

“That would be easier than what I have to tell you.” His friendship could be over with this confession and Taeyong didn’t know if he had the heart to kill the only person he chose to invest in. Jaehyun was someone who was there for him in ways Taeyong had never expected.

“Okay, now you’re scaring me.”

“I’ll be home soon,” Taeyong answered, hanging up before the other could respond.

When he walked into the small apartment, Jaehyun sat on the couch with his head in his hands. As soon as he saw Taeyong, he stood up and walked over to his roommate before placing two hands on his chest and pushing him. “What the fuck was that phone call? You can’t just do that to me. I need to know what’s going on.”

“Are you a good shot?” He stood in the entryway, unwavering. The exit was right behind him so he could leave if he needed.

Jaehyun’s brows were knit together. “What? What do you mean?”

“With a gun. Can you shoot a gun?” He clarified.

“I went hunting once as a kid, so no.” Jaehyun rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling lightly. “Why does that matter?”

“I need a bodyguard.”

Concern filled his friend’s face as he tried to figure out if Taeyong was hurt in any way, eyes scanning his body. “Since when?”

“Someone tried to kill my dad so he wants us all to have protection. I don’t trust anyone but you. I can teach you to shoot since I was expected to know how since I was young.”

“I mean, I’ll do it if you really think you can teach me. I don’t wanna know why you needed to learn, though.”

“That’s the problem. You need to know everything before you agree to this.”

“Can we go sit down at least? I have a feeling it may take a while.”

Taeyong moved away from the door slowly, dread filling his stomach with every step he took away from his route of escape. Jaehyun was too pure of a soul. He never should have turned to this as a plan. He owed it to Jaehyun to keep him out of it, let him have a normal life, but here he was dragging him into the middle of things. It didn’t matter if Jaehyun thought he was a good person, deep down Taeyong was selfish and a disappointment. 

As they sat on the couch next to each other, Taeyong told him about how the company had two sides and the second side participated in some illegal activity. He didn’t go into details, knowing that the less he knew the better. Jaehyun needed to know the basics and that’s it. Whatever Taeyong could keep secret, he would for as long as he could. Jaehyun listened intently, attempting to work through Taeyong’s confession as diligently as possible. 

Once Taeyong had covered as much as he could, he waited expectantly for Jaehyun to answer. The other stared at the floor, eyes burning holes into the cheap hardwood. One of his hands picked at the fraying edge of the couch as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“What do you need from me?”

“Well, I’m graduating in a few months so I’ll be starting full time at the office. You’ll have to quit school to be with me.” He said slowly, knowing the sacrifices Jaehyun would have to make for him. The guilt ate away at him with each word that left his mouth but he continued anyway. He was in too deep to turn back now.

He let out a low whistle. “Well, I was looking for something that wasn’t business. I guess protecting you is a viable option.”

“You’d be well paid, I promise. I’ll make sure of it.” It had to be worth his while considering the danger Taeyong was throwing him into.

Taeyong watched as his best friend nodded slowly, weighing his options carefully. “When do you start teaching me?”

“Tonight. You need to be able to shoot properly and under stressful circumstances by the end of the month.”

“Wow. Okay. That’s… soon. Guess we better get going as soon as we finish dinner.” He offered Taeyong a small smile as he stood up, and walked to the kitchen.

After they ate, Taeyong drove him to Lee Enterprises. Jaehyun looked around the lobby with starstruck wonder. The space was huge with two elevators at the center of the room. One led to what would be Mark’s half of the company and the other led to Taeyong’s. The two halves of the first floor were mirror images of each other with the decor making the building look cohesive instead of two separately operating units. When the heir started walking, his best friend was forced to follow, not wanting to be left alone. The receptionist watched carefully but knew better than to question Taeyong with his position.

Once in the elevator on the right, Taeyong pressed the button that would lead them down to the basement. Jaehyun hadn’t talked since they finished dinner, nerves obviously beginning to sink in. Taeyong couldn’t believe he was putting his best friend in this position. He had done everything for him and made him feel loved as a person for once in his damn life, and he returns the favor by making Jaehyun commit his life to the backward and shady company that was Lee Enterprises. 

Walking out of the sleek metal doors as they slid open, Taeyong was met with the training room he knew so well. This was where he and Mark each learned how to shoot and defend themselves if the time came. Why he hadn’t questioned it on his sixteenth birthday when he was introduced to the room filled with weapons was unbelievable. His dad had just told him this was where security trained.

Jaehyun stood still in the entrance of the room while Taeyong grabbed two silenced pistols from the cabinet, one for himself and the other for Jaehyun.

“You’ll get your own once you pass whatever test my dad has set up for you.”

“A gun for my twenty-first birthday, huh?”

“Mark got his for his eighteenth,” Taeyong mumbled, before placing the gun and bullets on the table and turning to him. “Pick yours up. I’m gonna show you how to load it and turn the safety on and off.”

Jaehyun swallowed deeply before reaching out, fingertips grazing over the cold metal before just giving in and taking hold of the handle. He followed Taeyong’s motions carefully as if taking mental notes of every minuscule movement the other made. After he loaded and unloaded the gun with Taeyong’s help, Jaehyun was expected to do it on his own. The older was pleasantly surprised when he did the task quickly, but he had to remember that this was quite literally the most basic part of handling a weapon. He couldn’t help but hold onto the hope he felt.

When Jaehyun finished doing that a few times with appropriate speed and accuracy for anything his father might want, Taeyong turned on a light that revealed silhouetted targets at the end of a dark hallway. Jaehyun looked at his best friend expectantly, probably hoping for some sort of direction or help.

“I want you to aim the best you can and take a shot without any help.”

Jaehyun laughed nervously. “You’re overestimating me.”

“I’m not doing anything except trying to figure out where to start.” He explained, leaning against the wall and watching the other try and find a good stance in the dim room. “The gun’s gonna have some kickback. Be ready.”

His feet were placed wrong and his shoulders weren’t squared. His arms were in the wrong position to take the kickback but as he shot the gun, it managed to shoot through the chest of the paper man. The bullet pierced through the paper target on the other side of the room as Taeyong took in everything he could.

“Your aim is good, but we have to fix everything else.” He rubbed his forehead as he tried to figure out what else was needed of him. “And prepare you for moving targets in a high-stress situation.”

Jaehyun nodded, adam's apple bobbing ever so slightly. He wasn’t sure about this and it was evident to Taeyong.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly. “My dad has a list of names upstairs that I can choose from.”

“Taeyong, as of right now, I have nothing,” Jaehyun spoke and his words were genuine just like how they always were. He was an honest man and Taeyong was sitting here and lying to him about his whole life. Even when he had the chance to tell the truth, he chose to continue living a life filled with fallacies for fear that Jaehyun would either run or look down on Taeyong for a life he was forced into. It was the fear that filled his brain with so many doubts. It painted a picture of a weak friendship with Jaehyun with ease and Taeyong, being the coward that he was, bought into it every time.

The older was forced out of his thoughts as his friend continued. “I have nothing going for me right now except for you. I don’t have any hopes for my future and not a damn idea what I want to do for a living. What I do know is that you’re my friend and you’re being targeted because of who you are. I know that what I want at this very moment is to help in any way I can to keep you safe.”

“I just don’t want you to get stuck in this like I am.” For the first time and only time tonight, Taeyong was completely and totally honest.

“I’m not stuck. I’m choosing to help and I can choose to leave whenever I want.” 

_ Not true,  _ Taeyong thought to himself as he continued listening. 

“Stop seeing yourself as a burden because you’re not. The only reason I’m apprehensive is because I have no clue if I’ll ever be good enough to protect you the way you need.”

“We have a month. I’m not giving up unless you want to.” Taeyong tried to find any signs of regret in his best friend’s face but was almost disappointed when he found nothing. Jaehyun was going for this wholeheartedly.

“I don’t give up.”

Taeyong smirked lightly, trying not to say an untimely joke.

“I know you’re about to point out that I gave up on my business degree literally tonight, but shut the fuck up and give me something else to shoot at.” Jaehyun’s face bore a smile despite the harshness of his words.

They spent most of the night training and it wasn’t until two in the morning that Taeyong decided to call it quits. Jaehyun was slouching in his stance while his aim became lazy. It was beginning to get hard for either of them to hold their eyes open, which was a recipe for disaster when someone’s holding a gun.

“Nice job today, boss.”

“God, I hate that. Never call me that.” Taeyong laughed lightly, shaking his head.

The younger furrowed his brows in curiosity. “Why?”

“You’re my equal if not better than me in every way,” Taeyong muttered before turning his attention to the small pistol, unloading it and placing it back in the cabinet like it was a prized possession when he truthfully despised violence of any kind. “Being called boss just feels wrong.”

Jaehyun took off toward the elevator, pressing the small button to call it down to their floor before turning and resting against the wall to watch his best friend. “One day you won’t think so lowly of yourself. I’m excited to see how powerful you become when you can see just a glimpse of the person I see.”

Training never got easier, unfortunately. As soon as Jaehyun proved to be somewhat consistent in one skill, Taeyong was forced to push him directly onto the next. With no time to spare, the two had picked up a habit of skipping classes to shoot guns and throw knives. About two weeks into the training, Jaehyun was able to move onto moving targets. Only when Jaehyun had become successful at taking down those pieces of cardboard and wood did Taeyong allow himself to feel hope.

For never having dealt with weapons before, Jaehyun was a quick learner. He never once complained about the soreness or the fatigue that came along with shooting weapons for hours at a time. His knife work was a little rough still but Taeyong’s father preferred the security to be gun handlers anyway. Knives were a skill expected more from an assassin, but Taeyong didn’t want to leave Jaehyun with any weak spots. If he could just get him to land the blade anywhere in the target, he would count it as a victory.

By the end of the month, he landed on the target almost every time and was able to lodge a blade in an area that could cause critical damage over half the time. His shooting was near perfect with stationary and moving targets. For it only being a month, Jaehyun had turned himself into a desirable prospect for the security team.

The pair sat in the middle of the training room with takeout boxes surrounding them on the eve of the test. Jaehyun picked at his food, barely eating anything while Taeyong forced food down. It had become a habit to eat without an appetite. He never desired food anymore with the stress of work and the unwavering guilt he felt for the lies he continued to tell Jaehyun. One day he would be able to tell him everything. When the time came, Taeyong just hoped it wouldn’t be too late for their friendship.

Jaehyun watched him carefully, eyes following his movements before he finally spoke. “Are you nervous?”

“Yes and no.” Taeyong swallowed his food before continuing. “I think you definitely have enough skill to pass the test. I’m only nervous because, after this, you’re in the company.”

“You keep acting like I’m gonna wind up dead if I go through with this.”

That was definitely the worst-case scenario, but getting hurt was a real possibility. If gangs were upset with Taeyong’s father, it wasn’t unrealistic to expect them to target his sons as well. The gravity of the situation was finally weighing on his chest as he processed all the fears he had been repressing for a month. 

“Someone tried to kill my dad. If someone takes a shot at me, you’re expected to block it and I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to you. I freaked out and picked you because I didn’t want some stranger by my side at all hours of the day.”

“I’m glad you picked me. I don’t want a stranger around either.” Jaehyun reached out and grabbed his best friend’s shoulder. “Unless it’s some hot badass that one of us can fall in love with. Then yes, go and pick her over me.”

“I think they were all old men,” Taeyong recalled the files he barely glanced at. None stuck out as a potential romantic interest.

“Looks like I’m the only option then.”

Taeyong pushed him off before smiling at the ground. “Eat your food. I can’t have a malnourished bodyguard.”

Jaehyun shoved a large bite into his mouth, grimacing as he chewed. “How long are we training tomorrow?”

“Fifteen-minute warm-up and then you’ll take your test.” 

“But-”

Taeyong interrupted him. “I’m not going to let you exhaust yourself before you even get to the real deal. I won’t let this month go to waste.”

“I guess now is a bad time to tell you I have performance anxiety, huh?” Jaehyun asked him, offering a weak grin in consolation.

Taeyong couldn’t help but laugh. “No, it’s not really the best time. But you’ll do fine. I believe in you.”   
“You saying you believe in me is just a testament to you as a teacher so really, you believe in yourself by default.” Jaehyun pointed his chopsticks at him before shoveling rice into his mouth.

“When will you quit trying to make me be nice to myself?” It was a weird feeling to have someone he cared about seeing him for something he never saw himself.

“When you’re nice to yourself all on your own.”

Taeyong sat in his father’s office alone, not so patiently waiting for his best friend’s results. It had been an hour since they had been separated for the evaluation. Jaehyun was taken to the basement while Taeyong made his way up to the top floor to sit in the office with the view of the city. If Jaehyun failed, then Taeyong would be forced to surround himself with someone he didn’t trust. His life would consist of constantly building walls and boarding up his feelings when he and Jaehyun had finally gotten to a place where he was comfortable. He was starting to open up in ways he never had before and it was because of Jaehyun’s never-ending patience and support even when Taeyong would push him away.

Resting his head against the chair behind him, he took in his surroundings. This office would be his at some point in time. The wall of glass brought life to the otherwise bland and minimalistic room. The space was free of any personal touches and consisted solely of sleek black furniture with white marble accents. A bookshelf took up one half of the room but Taeyong knew that all the books were fake. His father never cared to read and had found random decor just to fill the space and make him look more cultured than he really was. He was just as much of a fake as Taeyong had become. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree after all.

As he was tracing the intricate designs adorning the marble tabletop, his father walked through the door and dropped into the chair directly in front of him. The wide back swallowed his figure and should have made him look small but the CEO was the king of making himself look large and important. The current scowl on his face and the way he leaned onto the desk made him seem like a giant in a room that was slowly shrinking.

“Was this a joke to you?” He asked, pulling out Jaehyun’s results. “75 percent accuracy with a moving target and only 90 percent with a stationary one. What the fuck is this?”

“He just started shooting a month ago.” Taeyong defended him. His voice was just above a whisper as he realized that this wouldn’t seem like an achievement from his father’s perspective. Jaehyun was shooting practically perfect this past week. The pressure must have gotten to him.

His father stared at him, eyes on fire with fury before his voice boomed around the practically empty office. “You asked me to give you a month to train a man, no, a boy, from scratch? This is your  _ life _ , Taeyong. If you would have told me this was your plan, I would have chosen someone for you.”

“That’s exactly what I don’t want.” His volume raised, quickly matching his father’s. “I don’t want someone I don’t know following me around like a lost puppy just so they can be rich.”

“I trust them. Is that not enough for you?”

“You throw your trust around like candy.” Taeyong spit, frustration bubbling out of him. He wasn’t going to have Jaehyun by his side and he had never felt more defeated. He couldn’t help but attack his dad in hopes of dragging him down to where his son was at. “You sign contracts without looking. You agree to things without even knowing the conditions. You’re placing your life and your company into the hands of criminals without a second thought. It’s a miracle you haven’t been killed already.”

“Don’t you  _ ever  _ speak down to me.” His dad slammed his hands on the desk, leaning over the sleek white surface. “I have been in this position for years. I have kept this company afloat and thriving while also organizing the entire underground. How dare you waltz into my office with such little experience under your belt and tell me that I’m a fool.”

“Can’t you see how they’re playing you? You’re nothing but a pawn. They make you feel like you have all this power so they can get exactly what they want from you. They stroke your ego just to get on your good side and steal from you.” 

The contracts flashed through his mind as he remembered all the deals he declined. Most of the propositions that came through the office would benefit others and possibly hurt the company. Taeyong had seen contracts he trashed get dug up and approved by his father with not even a glance at the contents. It was to show Taeyong that he meant nothing, no matter how many hours he spent here. The fact that the company would one day be his didn’t matter, of course. All that mattered was that Taeyong knew what his father was capable of here and now.

“Get the fuck out of my office.” 

The low growl resonated in Taeyong’s chest but he refused to move, standing his ground for once in his life. If he was supposed to be CEO, he better start learning how to act like it.

“Make Jaehyun my bodyguard or I’m done. I’m done with all of it. I have a degree. I can go work for someone who keeps their hands out of illegal trades.” It was an empty threat but the way it was delivered made it seem legitimate. All he needed was for the other to think he was serious.

The older man laughed before leaning back in his chair. “You really think I’m the only one who does this? Every single business owner out there is a greedy bastard who will push the lines to make a little extra cash.”

“At least they probably have a backbone and know when to say no. You’re nothing but a free source of money for these people and it’s about time you realized it.”

“I’m the one who can give you what you want and you’re spitting in my face.”

“I’ll tell you right now what makes Jaehyun different from anyone you want to glue to my side. He’s a good man and he cares about my well being. He sees me for more than just a paycheck. I trust him and he trusts me. That’s more than any statistics or test results can tell you. And it’s more than I can say for anyone on your fucking list of bodies.” Taeyong gestured at the two folders on the desk. One was Jaehyun’s profile and results while the other was undoubtedly a list of alternatives: the people his father deemed fit for the position. Just as his father said earlier, this was his life. He would no longer sit back and let someone else control him or else he would end up just like the man in front of him.

His father sighed, pinching his nose in exasperation. He knew the conversation was only going to continue with more insults thrown back and forth unless he gave in. He spoke quietly but his anger was still there. Somehow the calm voice was scarier than the screaming match they were having before. “This is the last thing I will ever do for you, Taeyong. Especially after you disrespected me.”

“This is the only thing I’ll ever ask for.” Taeyong slammed the door behind him, leaving his father red-faced and practically foaming at the mouth. He couldn’t stop the pride coursing through his veins as he realized he had just gone toe to toe with his father and won.

Walking throughout the open office space, Taeyong tried to steady his breathing. When he found Jaehyun, he didn’t want to be worked up for fear of making the younger feel bad. He needed to think he earned this position without Taeyong putting up a fight or he’d never accept it. 

Taking a turn into the bathroom on the floor, Taeyong wet a paper towel and pressed it to his face. His reflection showed a flushed, wild-eyed version of himself. The sight was unfamiliar to him in its entirety. He was used to being calm and collected even when everything seemed to be going wrong. This situation was different though. Taeyong had felt what it was like to have an ounce of control over his life and when it was about to be taken away from him, he entered a feral state. There was no way he would leave that room with anyone but Jaehyun as his bodyguard.

His chest slowly started to rise and fall at its normal rate and his face returned to a somewhat normal color. His head fell forward, resting against the basin of the sink. His dad certainly knew how to get him worked up, but he needed to have a better grasp on his emotions. He couldn’t play his cards so quickly and he certainly shouldn’t show that he has a personal investment in any situation. There were so many things he needed to learn from just from one interaction regardless of the fact that he left victorious.

Jaehyun was waiting for him in the lobby. His head was hanging in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. It was clear that the stress had definitely gotten to him throughout the test as well as afterward. Taeyong should have come here sooner, but he knew that taking time for himself was the right decision when Jaehyun looked up at him, thousands of emotions filling his eyes.

Jaehyun saw Taeyong exit the elevator, immediately standing up. “Yong, I fucked up. I-”

“You start on Monday.”

Jaehyun stared at him in disbelief, jaw going slack. “What? But my scores?”

“They had the footage from the basement that they reviewed. My dad was impressed.” Lying came so naturally now that the words flowed from Taeyong’s mouth like honey. He wanted to feel bad about it, but every lie was out of protection. At least, that’s what he told himself

When Jaehyun hugged Taeyong, the older boy didn’t know what to feel. Most of his emotions were contradictions. He wanted to have his best friend at his side to ensure he had someone he trusted while simultaneously wanting to keep him as far away from this hell of a life as he could. He was relieved to hear he scored so low while also feeling panicked. Taeyong’s true self was going to battle with the person he made himself become at every turn. Every crossroad he reached made the line between the two personas just a little more blurry. What did he want? What was he supposed to want? Where in this mess of feelings and choices did he really fall?

As he closed his arms around his new bodyguard, he forced himself to be happy about this choice, pushing that emotion to the front lines. Jaehyun wanted this so maybe Taeyong could want this, too.

The first few months passed by rather slowly. Jaehyun spent a lot of time practicing with the current security team and polishing what he learned from Taeyong. Since Taeyong really only knew the basics, there was only so much he could teach him. At home, Jaehyun would tell him how things were going and he could see the confidence growing when his best friend spoke of his achievements. He was apparently a natural because soon, the security team wasn’t able to do much more for him. Jaehyun was officially being trained by the head of security, or as Taeyong knew him, the company’s assassin.

“Some of the stuff he’s teaching me is kind of weird. I can’t quite figure out the need for half of these techniques, but I guess they could be useful if we ever got separated.”

Taeyong envied his naivety. They were very clearly grooming him into being the next company assassin and unless Taeyong did something now, Jaehyun would be thrown into this world headfirst. The only problem was that Taeyong was a coward. Instead of telling Jaehyun the truth while he could, he ate more of his dinner and let his roommate continue his chattering.

“I guess your party will be my first real event to work as your guard.” The excitement was buzzing around him as a small smile appeared on his lips.

Taeyong wanted to be excited, too. Jaehyun had come a long way since receiving the job and to see him so proud of how far he had come was almost contagious. The only problem was that this graduation party was more of a welcome into the company. It was arranged so that Taeyong could meet everyone important and they could finally know his involvement and how far into the company’s dark side the new businessman was. 

Jaehyun noticed Taeyong’s silence, placing his fork next to his plate and looking at him. “Have you ever thought about maybe doing art and just using an alias?”

“Where did that come from?”

Jaehyun shrugged. “I know you don’t want this and after your party in a couple of weeks, you’ll officially be in the company.”

“I won’t have time to do anything but work.”

Jaehyun nodded, understanding the implication. “I guess it’s a good thing we live together then, huh?”

“We can’t always be like this, you know,” Taeyong mumbled. He hated to think about living on his own, but the two couldn’t keep living together and acting like they were in college. Eventually, Taeyong would have to move out because of work. He wouldn’t be able to discuss a lot of matters if Jaehyun was home and there was a chance of overhearing.

“I know…”

Taeyong cursed himself as he watched his best friend’s face fall. The younger always wore his heart on his sleeve. It was fine in the apartment, but he would soon have to learn how to mask his emotions just like everyone else. Taeyong hated that he was making his kind, open, warm-hearted best friend into a statue just like he had done to himself.

In an attempt to save the dinner’s atmosphere, Taeyong smiled weakly. “Hey, we don’t have to worry about that yet. I don’t know why I brought it up. When we finally move out, it’ll probably be on your own fruition.”

“I don’t know. Your dad mentioned something about moving you back into his building because of the security there.”   
Taeyong’s chest suddenly felt tight as panic rushed through him. “Then you’re coming with me.”

Jaehyun shook his head. “That wasn’t the implication. I think he wants us separate.”

“You’re coming with me and that’s final.” Taeyong shook his head and forced himself to take a deep breath. “I don’t want to live on my own, yet. Jae, you’re the only thing that keeps me sane most days. I can’t do this by myself.” 

His words were frantic and uneven, showing the way he was slowly losing control over his body and his mind. Fear was taking over, acting for him while Taeyong could do nothing to stop it.

The thought of coming home to an empty, barely furnished apartment, with nothing of his own inside made him seize up in a panic. His breaths became shallow as his hands gripped the side of the table. He couldn’t do this. He wasn’t ready for this. What the fuck was he thinking? 

He felt the tears prick at his eyes at the same time Jaehyun pulled him out of his chair and into his chest. With how badly the older was shaking, he couldn’t even respond. He was left barely standing. The only reason he was on two feet was because of Jaehyun supporting him.

“Taeyong, you can do this. You’ve been doing it for months already. Where you go, I go. I will be by your side always.” Jaehyun reassured him.

“That’s not true.” It came out shaky and breathy and he silently scolded himself for being so weak, as if he could help what was happening right now.

“Yes, it is.” The younger’s words were slow and sure.

Doubt continued to plague his mind as words tumbled out before he could think about them. “When you find out just how fucked up this company is, you’ll want out. I know you will.”

“Listen, I’ve already started to figure some stuff out, but I trust you.”

“You don’t know everything.” He didn’t know about the laced drugs, human trafficking, the dealing of weapons to deadly gangs and terrorist groups. He knew none of it. Not nearly as much as he thought he did, at least. 

“I know you, Taeyong. I know you have a good heart and that things will be different when the company is yours. Let me believe in you.”

Taeyong felt himself sinking to the ground, resting up against the wall behind the kitchen table. Jaehyun sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and studying his face.

He still didn’t feel like he could breathe. The walls he and everyone else had built for him were closing in around him. Of course, he wouldn’t have choices for himself once he graduated. He would never get to make a single decision on his own until his dad was dead and six feet under. Even then, his choices will be made for the company, not for himself. He was born into a life where his path was paved for him with no options of a detour. 

He looked around at the small apartment he and Jaehyun had been living in. The common area was a combined space with the kitchen, dining room, and living room all attached. No area was particularly large, but Taeyong liked it that way. This space felt like a home with the couch they bought at a garage sale and the table with four different chairs surrounding it. Since Jaehyun insisted on paying an honest half for everything in the apartment, Taeyong was living like a genuine college kid. This was what he wanted. He wanted to be in this tiny space where sometimes he and Jaehyun fought because of close quarters. He wanted to walk in and see everything that could possibly be happening just from standing in the front door. He wanted to sit on the floor with his brother and his best friend and loudly play video games until his neighbor complained through the thin walls. 

Instead, he was being forced into a place probably ten times the size and possibly living alone. There would be no more dinner on mix-matched plates or cheap take out eaten on a mattress that had springs you could feel wherever you sat. It would be food made by a chef and left on a kitchen bar with a single plate. A night of solitude spent in his room with a bed someone would dream of yet Taeyong would be left restless. He’ll work a nine to five but never truly clock out because when he gets home, he’ll continue sorting through whatever was unfinished in the office.

The sobs racked through his body as Jaehyun simply sat there. There wasn’t anything for the boy to say and Taeyong was thankful he didn’t try. He had experienced panic attacks before, but all have been in the privacy of his room. He knew the best thing to do was wait it out and try and talk after it had passed. Discussing it now would just make things worse. 

When Taeyong finally seemed to calm down, he let out a few shaky breaths before curling up and burying his face between his knees.

“I’ll sleep in the bathtub if I have to,” Jaehyun spoke from beside him. It was still a whisper, uncertainty of whether or not he should speak filling his hushed tone.

“Why the bathtub and not the couch?”

“I saw the couch in your dad’s place. It looked like it wasn’t comfortable at all. I figured at least the bathtub will be big because it’s a fancy place. I can put pillows in there.”

Taeyong let out the smallest laugh. “You won’t have to do that.”

“You said you don’t want to live alone, so you won’t.” It came out so plain and simple that Taeyong wanted to believe him. He wanted to think that Jaehyun would be by his side no matter what, but he was unrealistic to think so. For right now, he would hold on to his best friend as tightly as he could, appreciating the bond they had formed.

“You’re too good of a person to be friends with me, Jaehyun. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

“Nah. It isn’t dragging if I’m walking willingly.” Jaehyun’s smile was so bright, so reassuring. 

“I-”

He put a hand out to stop Taeyong before interrupting him. “Look. I meant what I said. I’m by your side. You’re kind of all I have now, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Taeyong finally turned to face him, wanting Jaehyun to open up. “Did something happen to your family?”

“You and Mark are my family,” Jaehyun said, offering a small smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes though.

“I consider you mine, too, but that’s not what I’m asking and you know it.” He waited for Jaehyun to respond and instead he was met with silence. His roommate started playing with his hands which was a nervous tick Taeyong caught onto early. 

“I didn’t want to tell you this because I didn’t want you to feel guilty.” Jaehyun sighed before continuing. “I need you to know that I made this decision. I knew what would happen if I accepted your offer and I  _ chose  _ this. I knew I could have said no.”

“Jaehyun…”

Still staring at the ground, he explained further. “They aren’t exactly happy I dropped out of school. They wanted me to finish my degree and work as a businessman so I could work my way up in a company. When I said I was going to be a bodyguard, they didn’t really let me explain who it was for before they just hung up on me.”

“Have you been able to talk to them?”

“No. They kind of cut me off, too.” Jaehyun scratched the back of his neck. “But it’s okay because this job pays more than enough.”

Taeyong felt his face contort with concern. Jaehyun was carrying this for months and never told Taeyong. How shitty of a friend was he that his best friend couldn’t even talk to him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I’m okay with it. Things with my family have been pretty rough since high school. Like I said, you and Mark are my family. You’ve done more for me than they have in the past five or six years. I think they just want me to be successful so I can support them financially.” Jaehyun rested his head against the wall behind him, tilting it slightly just to see Taeyong.

“I know you’re not okay with it. No matter what their reasons may be for their actions, it’s still your family.”

“If your dad cut you off, would you care?”

“No,” Taeyong answered quickly. “But I highly doubt your parents are as bad as mine.”

“Bad is kind of subjective, Taeyong. Like you definitely have it worse than me but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with how they’ve treated me.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t compare. I just wish things were different.”

He shrugged, seemingly unbothered by Taeyong’s previous comment. “I mean, I wish things were different, too, but I wished that before they stopped talking to me.”

“I do feel guilty,” Taeyong admitted.

“I don’t want you to. Seriously.”

Taeyong just nodded, not saying anything.

“Hey, since tomorrow is Saturday, what if we go furniture shopping and apartment hunting. I can afford a nicer place now.”

“My dad will buy me out of the lease.” He knew he needed to put his foot down, especially in this area of his life, but it was such an easy thing for his father to control since he had so much money.

“We can find a place with excellent security to appease your father. Plus, the best bodyguard in the company will be living with you. That’s pretty top-notch security.”

Taeyong laughed, finally beginning to feel lighter. “Already the best, huh?”

“Well, I’m getting there.”

Jaehyun really was becoming the best on the team. Taeyong saw the reports about his progress and had meetings with the head of security about his potential. They felt like he was on the way to becoming the company’s assassin. Taeyong wasn’t ready to sign Jaehyun up for that type of commitment. Just because he was a good shot didn’t mean that he was capable of hurting someone. Jaehyun had the purest heart Taeyong had ever seen and he just wasn’t sure if he could ever truly ask his friend to kill someone. The possibility of doing such as a bodyguard was enough of a burden to bear.

Taeyong spent the next few weeks helping to organize his party. Truthfully, he didn’t know why he was even present because his mother seemed to be making all the decisions for his debut into the company. If he thought being around his dad was bad, his mom was even worse. She cared about nothing but appearances and material possessions and it was evident through her relationship with her family. She only spoke to her husband when she needed the credit card. The only quality time she spent with her kids was to show how involved she was as a mother when in reality, she sat in her quarters of the apartment and allowed her children to raise themselves.

Taeyong had to sit through her parading around and acting like a proud mother for the entirety of the event preparation. He probably could have handled things himself by just talking to an event planner, but mother dearest insisted on a more hands-on approach. That was how he ended up with guests he didn’t know, flowers he never cared for, and food he had no interest in. 

The night came quicker than Taeyong would have liked. He readied himself in his tiny bathroom before going and helping Jaehyun finish up. They agreed to order in pizza before going in order to spare the suffering of eating whatever obnoxious food Taeyong’s mom had ordered.

The grand ballroom was decorated extravagantly and if Taeyong didn’t know better, he would think he was walking into a wedding. Jaehyun grabbed his arm before he could walk any farther into the room and forced him to face him.

“We have stations we’re supposed to stay at all night.” Jaehyun nodded back towards the door they walked in through.

Taeyong’s eyes widened as realization dawned on him. “You’re not going to be with me.”

“Your dad wouldn’t let me be next to you all night anyway. I don’t think he wants me knowing his plans.”

“What if we leave now?”

“Not gonna happen. I’ll lose my job and you’ll… get yelled at or something. I don’t know.”

Taeyong nodded. “I guess go stand at your post then.”

Jaehyun gave him a two-finger salute before making his way over to the Head of Security. Taeyong reluctantly turned away from him, seeking out his father in the crowd of people. He had arrived early but somehow, all these people still beat him to the venue. Taeyong made sure to smile at everyone he passed, stopping to introduce himself to a few that he knew his father was close with. Many of the faces were familiar from dinner parties or from visits to the office, but now Taeyong was representing himself as a businessman and not just his father’s son. This was the time to make relationships of his own so that when his father passed the company onto him, he wouldn’t be thrown into the water with no form of support. 

The majority of the night was spent making polite chatter and vaguely hinting at business deals that couldn’t properly be discussed in public. His father joined into most of the conversations and for once in Taeyong’s life, he was thankful for the older man’s presence. The current CEO was a master at guiding the conversation and leading it into his territory so naturally. He dominated topics and discussion with ease and painted Taeyong to be an absolute natural in this particular line of work. 

About halfway through the night, Taeyong excused himself for a short break and a drink. This wasn’t as intolerable as he thought it would be. For the most part, he was doing a good job at holding a conversation and slipping into the role he was born for. He didn’t hate business anymore. He liked the bit of control he felt like he had while making deals. The thing he didn’t like was what he was making deals about. 

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Jaehyun standing, lips in a grim line. “We need to go.”

“What?”

“I need to get you out of here. The security team thinks a group wants to use the event to target you.”

Taeyong’s face paled. These walls and this room had quickly turned into a cage. Putting down his glass slowly, he nodded as if nothing were wrong. “Lead the way.”

Jaehyun turned around, a smile returning to his face the second he faced the crowd of people again. For never being in a situation like this before, Jaehyun adapted well. He looked like a true professional as he danced between the crowd in hopes of confusing anyone who was watching. Taeyong could see why he had impressed so many people so quickly.

“The car is pulled around to the back alleyway,” Jaehyun said over his shoulder momentarily before leading him out a door and into the building’s main hallway. He took the gun from his holster, cocking it before continuing his path to the back of the building. 

Taeyong had no one behind him, forcing him to stay close to his best friend and just hope for the best. For being so concerned about his safety, they couldn’t manage to cover his back? He looked over his shoulder as he took out his own gun. Taeyong hadn’t received even half the training that the younger did, but he could at least help if he needed to.

The second he turned his head back to focus in front of him, Jaehyun was shoving him down to the ground. 

“Stay down!” He yelled before taking a shot at a man’s chest in front of him. As soon as the body hit the ground, Jaehyun was pulling Taeyong up by his arms before taking off running, eyes frantically searching the rest of the room. The space was wide open with few places to seek cover. It was simultaneously an advantage and a disadvantage. Jaehyun could see anyone coming, but everyone could see them as they sprinted the last couple feet and out into the alleyway.

As soon as Jaehyun leaned against the exit to the alleyway, a gunshot sounded throughout the hallway. Taeyong wasn’t even able to register the pain in his left arm as Jaehyun pulled him to his chest, taking his shot at whoever was responsible for the injury. Taeyong dared to check behind him just to see three more men approaching them from the opposite end of the building. Jaehyun took the small moment to push through the door and outside.

The two men climbed into the backseat of the car as quickly as possible. Jaehyun sat on his knees, preparing to shoot again if need be. Pain seared through Taeyong’s bicep as the driver took off out of the alleyway. When they were on the street and blending in with the rest of traffic, Jaehyun sank into his seat, breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” He reached out to inspect the bullet wound in Taeyong’s arm. “Fuck. Okay. Damn it.” 

Jaehyun took off his jacket, before looking at Taeyong with apologetic eyes.

“This is gonna hurt.” He placed the sleeve of his jacket over the wound before digging the palm of his hand into it. “I’m sorry I have to do this, I really am.”

Taeyong let out a long scream as Jaehyun apologized profusely, not letting up on the pressure. 

“Fuck. I had one job. This never should have happened.”

“I’m alive, Jae. I’m fine.” Taeyong said through gritted teeth. The pain wasn’t getting any better but he had no choice but to deal with it until they could get to the hospital. Even with a bullet lodged in his bicep, all he could focus on was whether or not Mark was safe.

Once they got to the hospital, Taeyong was helped immediately while Jaehyun sat outside the room. All the older wanted was to have his best friend in the room with him, but the nurses insisted that only family could be present in the room. To Taeyong, that was his only family besides Mark. 

He was released relatively quickly. The bullet didn't hit anything major which allowed for some quick stitches and some bandages to fix the problem. Jaehyun waited by the door the whole time, refusing to leave until Taeyong was allowed to go home. When Taeyong left the room, he found Jaehyun sitting alone, head resting in his hands. The older placed his good arm around the younger’s shoulders, getting his attention.

“No word from your parents. Mark is at our apartment. For some reason, his security wouldn’t let him come here.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t want a crowd of people here anyway.”

Jaehyun gave him a look of sympathy before getting up and leading him out of the hospital.

Mark was less than pleased to see Taeyong hurt, but he never once blamed Jaehyun. He instead blamed his mother for picking a room that didn’t have an immediate outdoor exit and his dad for not having better security. He ended up having to take his girlfriend home early and it was how he managed to avoid being caught in the middle of the shooting. Regardless, Taeyong was relieved that he was okay and his brother wasn’t there.

The next year went by painfully slow. It was filled with events that had too many guards and not enough alcohol and shady business deals that Taeyong still didn’t approve of. Jaehyun was excelling at his part of the job and eventually was making enough money for the two of them to actually move out of their small place and find something more suitable for men of their position.

The only highlight of the year was moving into a place that he and Jaehyun could genuinely call home for as long as they needed. There were two bedrooms, but they spent most nights in the same room. Jaehyun wasn’t handling the trauma from the night of Taeyong’s graduation very well. He still woke up in a cold sweat even six months after the event. It was hard for him to process that he had genuinely killed two people. 

Unfortunately for him, the deaths didn’t stop there. The current CEO had managed to piss off a small but persistent gang that wasn’t accepting no for an answer. They attacked the family at every chance they got which lead to Jaehyun taking down man after man. The kills continued to haunt him at night while he pretended like nothing was wrong during the day. 

Taeyong worked hard to convince the security team that Jaehyun wasn’t ready to be promoted but they continued with their training anyway. It didn’t take long for the younger to figure out just what they were doing.

“Taeyong?” Jaehyun asked one night, putting his video game controller to the side. He never quit playing even when he started working and Taeyong was glad he could still relax during his free time. 

Taeyong hummed as he continued typing out an email to an associate company. 

“There’s something higher than a bodyguard, isn’t there.”

He took a deep breath. “Yes. It’s kinda for preventative measures.”

“So, what? I go out and scout everything early?”

“You kill them before they can attack us.”

“They’re training me to be an assassin.” It wasn’t a question, but more so a statement. He understood what he was going to have to do if he continued down this path.

Taeyong closed his laptop, setting it on the table in order to talk to Jaehyun seriously. “I didn’t know they were going to want you to move up so soon. I keep trying to tell them to wait but they’re saying you’re ready.”

“When are they trying to promote me?”

“June.” It was currently February. The two boys were getting ready to celebrate Jaehyun’s twenty-second birthday. 

They still seemed a little too young for all of this. Taeyong was twenty-three with his father passing off responsibilities he just didn’t feel like doing meaning Taeyong shouldered most of the work. Jaehyun should be graduating college and instead, he’s being shaped into the company’s hitman. 

“That’s soon.”

“If you want me to keep trying to put it off, I will. I can understand why you wouldn’t be ready.”

“It would be to keep you safe, right?” He furrowed his brow. His eyes were full of hope and Taeyong admired how he was always so optimistic.

“I don’t believe in killing senselessly.” It was the only response Taeyong could give. There was no way that every target would be assigned with an attempt to protect the future CEO, but Taeyong liked to think that killing these targets protected someone.   
“But does your father?”

That was a question he couldn’t answer. He knew what he personally wanted for the company, but his dad’s morals were much looser. The top priority was making money and keeping his heirs safe. It wouldn’t surprise Taeyong if he killed based solely on suspicion and didn’t wait for proof.

“I’ll do it. I just… We may need to just buy two beds for your room.” He joked lightly.

Taeyong offered a soft smile in comfort. “I don’t mind, really. I can’t imagine what it’s like to experience what you are. I’m okay if you wake me up if you need anything, too, you know.”

“I’ll be numb to it eventually.”

“You shouldn’t have to be,” Taeyong mumbled. This was all his fault for selfishly getting him involved in the first place. He would never forgive himself for his momentary weakness. That month of training was the month he single-handedly ruined his best friend’s life.

Jaehyun understood the implication of Taeyong’s words. “I don’t resent you for this. Besides the whole killing people part, I like my job. I’m fucking good at it. Plus, it’s nice working with you and Mark.”

“It’s really hard for me to take that at face value considering I hate this job.” Knowing how strong his own feelings were made it hard to imagine someone kind of enjoying the line of work. While Jaehyun had stressors of his own, they weren’t exactly comparable to the things Taeyong faced in his office. It was possible that Jaehyun took pride in keeping the company and his friend safe.

“I know, but please just trust me.”

“I trust you more than I let on. I want you to know that.” He reached out, placing his hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “I don’t do a very good job of showing it, but I appreciate you.”

Jaehyun smiled before turning back around and resuming his game. Taeyong let him, knowing that one day he wouldn’t have the luxury of free time anymore.

By the time June rolled around, Jaehyun claimed he was more than ready to step up to the plate as the company’s assassin. Taeyong was reluctant to have his friend take on this responsibility but he insisted that things were okay now. Jaehyun wasn’t having as many nightmares anymore and had even gone back to sleeping in his own room. That should have been enough of a sign that he was okay, but Taeyong couldn’t help but feel overprotective.

He sat in his office through lunch, only to be interrupted by Mark walking into the room and dropping food on the only free spot of the hardwood desk. “Eat.”

“I can eat when I get off,” Taeyong replied, still typing at his computer.

“Yeah, no. Take a break. I miss you.”

Taeyong sighed, closing his laptop and turning away from his desktop computer. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know things have been crazy lately. I just wanted to catch up.”

Taeyong sighed. “Well, there’s nothing new with me. Jaehyun got a promotion.”

“You don’t look happy.”

“They made him the company assassin.”

“You’re okay with that? Sounds dangerous.”

Taeyong shook his head weakly. He didn’t know how he would ever come to terms with his best friend’s new position. “I’m not okay with it at all, but I can’t tell Jaehyun what to do. He said he wants to help and if this is how he insists on doing it, I can’t stop him.”

“I wish Dad would have told us about the assistants sooner because then you could have just had him do that.”

“What assistants?” Taeyong’s voice was flat. Ever since the fight about Jaehyun being his bodyguard, the communication between him and his father was worse than usual. That basically meant that they didn’t talk at all. No information was being delivered to each other in any way. The assistant was probably just being hired so his father could have a messenger.

“He wants us each to pick a personal assistant.” Mark looked at him expectantly. “I guess he hasn’t told you yet.”

“I’m always the last to know somehow.” He pushed down his frustration with his dad and turned the conversation around. “How’s Minseo? Are you still seeing her?”

Mark’s face lit up at the question causing warmth to fill Taeyong’s chest. As long as Mark was happy, Taeyong could make do with living the life he was living. It was all for his brother.

“She’s great. I want you to meet her soon. I know you’re reluctant because of privacy or whatever, but I think I want to marry her.” Mark trailed off. He felt confident in his statement but he didn’t know how it would be received, causing him to falter slightly.

“Those are big words.”

“Not yet, of course. Just… Eventually, you know? She wants to wait until we’re both graduated and settled and financially stable. She’s more responsible than me.”

“You’re financially stable now.” Taeyong pointed out. Even as a part-time employee, Mark could support a wife and six kids if he really wanted to.

The younger shrugged. “She wants to be successful on her own before she marries me. She doesn’t want any handouts just because I’m her husband.”

Taeyong allowed himself to get his hopes up for just a second. This girl seemed to know who Mark was but didn’t care. She wanted to make a name for herself on her own and without the help of Mark’s name. Taeyong couldn’t help but respect her. “That alone is enough to make me like her.”

His brother was beaming at the approval, smile wide and eyes sparkling. It faded eventually and the room went quiet before Mark spoke, voice barely audible. “I want you to have someone.”

“I have Jaehyun.” Taeyong pointed out, finally grabbing his food from the bag and opening it.

“Don’t deflect. You know what I mean.”

Taeyong sighed. It was hard to explain the way he no longer craved things he couldn’t have. He had long since learned how to suppress the sensation of longing until he didn’t feel it at all. “Having Jaehyun in my life is hard enough. I feel like shit every time I wake up knowing that I threw him into the mess I’m living. How would I ever be able to have a relationship when I know the only thing it would do is endanger her?”

“You’re in a worse position than I am,” Mark admitted. “You walk around with a target on your back and I know that. I also know that you did it all to protect me. You just… you deserve happiness, Taeyong. I’m glad you have Jaehyun. I really am, but you deserve more. You deserve a relationship and someone who loves you.”

“I don’t need more. I have you and I have Jae. I’m happy with that Mark.”

“I want to believe you but it’s really hard when you barely talk to me. Jaehyun told me you’ve been distant at home, too. That doesn’t sound happy to me.”

“Mark?” Taeyong waited for his younger brother to meet his eyes. When he did, Taeyong continued. “I’m okay.”

They ate the rest of their lunch in silence. Taeyong wasn’t sure how to respond to Mark’s concern and Mark clearly didn’t know how to change the subject. The quiet wasn’t too uncomfortable. They had eaten plenty of meals together before that didn’t have a conversation to fill the air. To be honest, Taeyong needed this time to just sit. He was away from his work in the company of his brother and he felt at peace. It was a nice break considering his life had been going nonstop since the second he graduated. Now that it was a year later, Taeyong didn’t know how he was going to do this for the rest of his life.

“Hey, I gotta go pick up Minseo for class. I’ll see you later. Don’t keep avoiding me.”

“Not avoiding you. In fact, have dinner with me and Jae tonight.”

“I’m showing up tonight whether you like it or not, so don’t try and take back that invitation.” Mark pointed a finger at him as he walked out the door, leaving his older brother to himself.

Taeyong turned to his computer, sending a passive-aggressive email to his father about the assistants before putting his stuff in his bag and walking out. Enough was enough, and with his pay being on salary, he technically could skip out on a few hours. He stopped by his father’s office on the way out, entering without notice.

“Just because you’re my son doesn’t mean you can just walk in. You’re still an employee.”

“Who are my options for my assistant?” Taeyong asked, not wanting to beat around the bush. When his dad didn’t answer, he looked at him. “Didn’t you get my email? I said I was coming by to discuss it.”

His father looked at him wide-eyed, obviously not having seen the email Taeyong sent only seconds ago. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you would never let me choose. Who did you pick out for me?”

His father let out a sigh, getting used to the way Taeyong demanded things. Anytime there was a change, the future CEO didn’t always take it well. This was his small form of rebellion and his father was slowly losing patience for it. “You can pick from these three.”

Taeyong flipped through the files that his father spread out on the desk, looking for the youngest one and not much else. He didn’t want an old man that his dad was close to just to have his every move documented and reported back to the CEO. Surprisingly, one of the men in the stack was fresh out of college. Taeyong closed his file, handing it to his dad.

“Great. I’ll take Kim Doyoung.”

The man was less than a year younger than Taeyong, meaning that they could at least try to connect. Taeyong could potentially shape him into someone he could trust if he did it right. He was about as happy with his choice as he could be considering it wasn’t much of a choice.

“Are you sure? He’s awfully young. Do you not want to interview them?” His father’s brows furrowed as he reviewed Taeyong’s decision.

“Don’t put him in the stack if you’re going to question my choice. I pick Doyoung. No interview is necessary. I expect to see him in my office next week.” Taeyong answered curtly, walking out the door.

He regretted demanding to have the man so soon when Taeyong had to spend the entire next month training him and filling him in on every little detail of the company. Taeyong liked things done a particular way and as a vice president, he had plenty of things to do. The nice thing was that Doyoung was a perfectionist in his own right. He worked until things were exactly the way Taeyong wanted. He was a quick learner and managed to keep track of little details without writing them down.

The only bad thing about having an assistant was being forced to trust him. Taeyong had known Doyoung for approximately two weeks before having to tell him every dirty secret that Lee Enterprises kept hidden away in the closet. The man took in every new detail while attempting to hide any distaste or judgment. He seemed relieved anytime Taeyong would admit that he didn’t care for a certain deal or partnership. 

Taeyong did feel bad about being so open and honest with someone he barely knew when he would come home and lie directly to Jaehyun’s face. Eventually, he would have to be open to his roommate about what was happening considering he would be in the middle of it. It would be foolish to send him in blind. For right now, he had Doyoung and didn’t have to worry about unloading work stressors onto the person that already burdened all of Taeyong’s frustrations.

As if laid into motion by fate herself, Taeyong went home that very day to find Jaehyun on the couch, loading a gun.

“Taeyong. This isn’t just to protect you is it.” He looked at him, placing the gun on the table. “I figured it out when you were being defensive a few months ago, but I’ve been on two assignments now and neither of them really seemed like that much of a threat to you or Mark.”

“Jaehyun…”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, the hurt resonating in his voice so loud, Taeyong felt like his chest could collapse.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt.” It was as honest of an answer as he could give right now even though it lacked the full truth.

“Trusting me with important information about the fucking  _ job I’m doing _ is going to get me hurt?” He stood up. “I just thought… I thought we were past all the secrets.”

Taeyong moved to stop him from leaving the apartment. “Can we just talk? I’ll tell you everything.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just go ask Mark. Or maybe Doyoung. He seems pretty knowledgeable.” He threw Taeyong’s new assistant in his face with ease, turning on his heel and walking towards the door.

“That’s not fair.”

“I think it’s plenty fair. You’ve lied to me for years. I could understand it at first, but once I joined the company, why? Why keep hiding things from me when I’m in the middle of it?”

Taeyong tried to grab his best friend’s arm in order to stop him from his pursuit to the exit, but Jaehyun just ripped it out of his clutches.“I-”

Jaehyun interrupted him, turning his fiery gaze to the ground. “I have to go to work. I have an assignment and I won’t be late.”

Taeyong didn’t sleep that night. He knew Jaehyun would have the next day off, and he wasn’t moving from the couch until he got the chance to talk to him. He knew he fucked up. He was aware of that each and every day he went to work and hid files when Jaehyun came in. Looking into bright eyes that had so much admiration for Taeyong made it hard, to be honest. How could he ever tell someone who thought so highly of him that he wasn’t half the man Jaehyun thought him to be? He would have to openly share just how shitty of a person he was with the only one who saw him for anything more than his job or his position.

There was a lot of things he could have done different. The first thing he would do would be to never talk to Jaehyun. If that was unavoidable, the least he could have done for the younger is never allow for things to progress past friendly acquaintances. Instead, the two poured into each other. They both opened up willingly. Albeit, it took Taeyong much longer than it took Jaehyun, but the way Jaehyun shared aspects of him without restraints was something that Taeyong admired. He found the open communication alluring, even when he wasn’t ready to contribute. He learned about himself through Jaehyun’s stories.

Looking back on the friendship, Taeyong wasn’t exactly sure what he had done for Jaehyun except for be the bringer of destruction. Regardless of whether or not Jaehyun had plans for his future, Taeyong wrecked any potential for a safe, stable job. Taeyong selfishly threw him into danger just because he was scared of having someone else. All he ever did to the person he called a friend was use him and treat him like shit. 

Pulling his legs to his chest, Taeyong rested his chin on his knees. The worn-out couch in the tiny apartment had been replaced by modern furniture in a sleek living space. The dining room chairs matched and surrounded a long glass table that they would never use. The marble countertop of the bar was wiped clean from their maid that kept the apartment spotless. The two boys were important businessmen, leaving the simple lifestyle behind them. Taeyong couldn’t stop the pang of longing in his chest when he thought about how things used to be.

His best friend walked in at four in the morning, eyes heavy with sleep as he made his way into the apartment. His shoulders hung low as he set his gun on the entryway table and slipped off his shoes. The bag that held his extra gear hit the ground with a small thud as he turned to face the living room, eyes widening when he noticed Taeyong watching him from the dark living room.

“What are you doing up?”

“Come talk to me.” Taeyong pleaded.

“Go to bed. We need to sleep.”

“You have the day off tomorrow and I don’t plan on going in.” Taeyong countered, not willing to give up.

Jaehyun looked at his bed longingly through the open door before choosing to walk away from it, settling to sit on the coffee table in front of Taeyong. “I need you to tell me the truth. No bullshit, Yong. I’m serious. Then I need you to tell me why you thought it was okay to lie to me for so long.”

Taeyong took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing as he began the whole story. He started from his childhood, telling Jaehyun about his lack of anyone in his life except for himself. He didn’t have Mark until the two boys were much older. Choosing not to hold back at all, he described the tour of the office that he received when he was eighteen years old. Contracts, underhand deals, and human trafficking were all laid out on the table for Jaehyun to know about. This was the only way that Taeyong could convince him to stay. He had betrayed his trust by keeping things from him and the only way to set it right was to be completely honest. He expressed his regret for offering Jaehyun the job and how he hated hiding things from him. He looked Jaehyun in the eye and apologized over and over until the tears poured in steady streams down his face.

“I just want to know why you didn’t tell me,” Jaehyun whispered.

“Jae, you’re the first and only person to treat me like someone who mattered outside of my position in my dad’s company. You… You care about me and not with some twisted fucked up ulterior motive. How do I look at you and tell you that I’m not the person you think I am? How do I throw away the one friendship I have by telling you all the shit I’m wrapped up in?”

Jaehyun shook his head slowly, smiling softly. “You still don’t get it.”

“No. I really don’t.”

“You are everything I think you to be and more. You sat here waiting for me to get home because you didn’t want to go to bed without fixing this. You took the shittiest position in the company despite not even wanting this just to protect Mark. You have sacrificed over and over again for people you care about in so many ways.”

Taeyong couldn’t help but laugh. He appreciated Jaehyun’s attempt, but all he saw himself for was a selfish piece of shit and it was going to be hard to change that view. “What have I sacrificed for you? Jaehyun, all I’ve done is make things worse for you.”

“Taeyong, you gave me a purpose. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, I had no clue what I was doing. I was struggling to get through classes because I hated them. I had no interest in any other field of study. You gave me an option that I didn’t hate.”

“And now you’re killing people.” Taeyong pointed out. He was failing to see how this was a viable option.

“Yeah, bad people,” Jaehyun said it like it was obvious. “Look, it’s hard. I won’t act like I just love killing people because I don’t. I could scrub at my skin for hours and still not feel clean, but last week I killed someone known for kidnapping women. I killed a murderer tonight. It makes me feel like kind of a badass knowing that I’m doing something the cops can’t.”

“Don’t lie to me to make me feel better.”

“Lying is behind us. After you just told me the most I think you’ve ever told me, why would I turn around and lie?”

Taeyong couldn’t answer, just looked away from the man in front of him. “I don’t want to know where I would be if I didn’t have you.”

“Likewise.”

Having someone like Jaehyun in his life made him believe that he could be happy. Even if his job was terrible and so was his family, with the exception of one person, he could find a compromise in the people he surrounded himself with. It would be hard to get past the initial distrust, but maybe one day he could have a group of his own, even if it’s just a few people.

Jaehyun let out a small yawn, reminding Taeyong of just how late it had gotten. He stood up from the couch, patting Jaehyun on the shoulder. “Sorry I kept you up. I’m sure you’re tired.”

“Nah, I don’t care. This needed to happen. We can sleep in tomorrow and maybe play some video games.”

Taeyong laughed. “I don’t know the last time I touched a controller.”

“It’s only been two years max. You act like it’s been a lifetime.”

“Feels like it.” Taeyong sighed, turning to walk off to his room.

Jaehyun tried not to let his smile fade but Taeyong saw the way it faltered ever so slightly, and the flash of pity in his best friend’s eyes. “Go get some sleep.” 

The next year was spent teaching Jaehyun and Doyoung everything Taeyong knew. He had his best friend he could count on and an unlikely ally in his new assistant. The three worked together constantly and it helped Taeyong feel like he wasn’t so alone in the decisions he was making. 

His dad, on the other hand, expressed frequent disapproval for his son’s choices. He was too busy trying to manipulate Taeyong into acting a certain way or making decisions that wouldn’t benefit the company. The irony of it all was that Taeyong watched his dad make sacrifices to keep people he didn’t even know happy just for the sake of making more money. He continued to brush off his father’s opinion and invested in his two confidants knowing that when the time came, they would be all he had. 

Mark stayed out of the inner workings partially out of choice and partially out of Taeyong not allowing him to know more than he needed. However, Taeyong was more than happy to help the younger with anything he had on his plate. He had just a year left of college before he would be working at Taeyong’s side and under their father.

Minseo had visited the office a couple of times to bring Mark lunch and Taeyong genuinely did like her. He had joined in on their lunch dates just a few too many times in an attempt to get to know her. He even found himself getting close to her before long. She was hardworking, vivacious, and friendly in a way that was similar to Mark but they were different where it mattered. Minseo was serious about her future and making a name for herself. To be fair, Mark probably would have been the same way if things hadn’t been handed to him on a silver platter. 

One afternoon in late July, Mark sat in Taeyong’s office going over potential investments when Taeyong’s phone lit up. His mother’s name shone on the phone and his brows furrowed as he answered it reluctantly.

“Mom?”

“Taeyong, I need you to get Mark and come to the hospital. Your father’s very sick.” The woman’s voice came through the receiver strong and sure, direct and to the point. Before Taeyong could respond, she hung up the phone.

Mark seemed to be able to hear the woman’s words because his face fell, skin paling. “Dad’s in the hospital?”

Taeyong couldn’t even answer, just gathered his things and walked out of the office with Mark in tow. He made a short stop to ask Doyoung to sort the contracts and preapprove any contracts before walking out the door. Jaehyun was currently scouting for an assignment tomorrow night so he wasn’t in the office. Taeyong would try and call him and fill him later. For right now, he needed to know what was happening.

Walking into the hospital, Taeyong was drenched in stark fluorescent lights as he walked through the white hallways and to the front desk. He wished he could feel fear, but no emotion was there at all. He was completely numb. He knew there was a twinge of dread in there somewhere but it had more to do with running the company than losing his father. This moment was proof enough to Taeyong that it didn’t matter that he was born to his parents, he couldn’t find love for them anywhere in his heart. He could blame it on so many aspects of his childhood, but the main thing to him was knowing that they didn’t love him either. Taeyong and Mark were born so that his father had someone to pass his company onto. He had a loveless marriage and a business relationship with his own children. The man was as cold as ice and even though he could be lying on his deathbed, Taeyong couldn't find a drop of remorse for the older man.

Mark rounded the corner first, being greeted by his statue of a mother. She barely even looked up from her phone as she was tapping away at the screen. “Have a seat, boys.”

When the two of them sat in the small area across from her, she slid her phone into her purse and looked up at her children, sighing as if this was such an inconvenience to her day. 

“Your father has been poisoned. He overdosed on narcotics and the doctors say I caught it too late to save him.”

Mark was the first to speak. “How was he poisoned?”

“He got some care package from an acquaintance to thank him for doing business with them and his dumb ass didn’t think twice before eating the whole basket like a starved animal.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, speaking as if the family dog had just gotten into the trash. This death meant nothing to her except a life insurance check in the mail.

Taeyong couldn’t judge her too much considering he wasn’t necessarily mourning either, but he at least had enough respect for the man to not speak so poorly of him before he had even passed. The older son got up, making his way to the room the nurse at the desk had given him. For once, he was thankful that Mark was letting him approach their dad by himself.

He opened the door slowly, allowing the steady beeping to take over his consciousness. The small sound was so slow that Taeyong didn’t know how it was even enough to keep the man alive. He sat at the chair beside his father’s bed, staring at his pale, clammy figure. His lips and fingers had gone blue from the poor circulation, the color standing out against the stark white sheets. 

“You really are just throwing us to the wolves, huh, old man?” He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as his eyes stared at the body. “You know, I spent most of my life hating you. You were so cold to me when I was just a child. You shamed me for having emotions the very few times I even saw you. This fucking company is more of a child than your own flesh and blood.

“It’s funny. I used to stay up at night just to try and see you. I wanted to ask about your day and have dinner with you, but you never quite made it home before I gave up. It took years for me to quit hoping that maybe one day you would see me as something that was worth coming home for.”

Tears slowly tracked down his face. “I think what hurt more was watching Mark go through it. I was used to the way you treated me. I was nothing more than dirt my whole life and I knew things would never change. Mark, though… He loved you. He looked up to you even. He would tell our nanny every day that he wanted to be just like you when he grew up. How was I supposed to tell my only family member that his dream was the last thing he should ever want? How do you tell a kid that he could be so much more than the piece of shits that brought him onto this earth?”

It was silent for a moment, the electric signal of his still-beating heart echoing in his ear. “I hope, as you lay on this bed, you’re filled with regret. The problem is, I know you. My whole life, I’ve known you better than you’ve ever known me. I know for a fact that the only regret you had when you realized you were dying was eating whatever shit was in that thank you basket. You are a sad, lonely man and I pray to every god I can think of each fucking night that I never end up like you. I will be the man you never could be and it’s a shame you won’t be around to see it.”

Taeyong stood up, sparing one last look at the man who made him who he was. For better or for worse, the CEO of the biggest company in Korea had shaped his son even if it was unintentional. An entire life of neglect had turned his heart into something unrecognizable. He spent years alone without a single soul he could talk to. He learned how to live on his own and support himself because he knew his dad could never be a father. He became a cold-hearted asshole because of his dad, but he became strong and dignified because of Mark and Jaehyun. He had become a person because of those two instead of just a statue participating in the daily motions of life.

He left the practically cold body alone in the hospital room without a second thought. His father could die alone, just like how he left his two sons to live their whole lives.

The days before the funeral were uneventful. His precious mother saw her husband’s death as another chance to party plan. She threw on the mask of a mournful wife with ease as she picked out flowers and a casket while she made pamphlets for his memorial service. Things like table settings and guestlists were just another thing on her list of daily to-dos and she did it with ease.

Taeyong and Mark opted to stay at Taeyong’s apartment until it was all over with. Jaehyun stayed with them, taking off until the funeral came and passed. Not that it mattered because the company was at a standstill until Taeyong and Mark were officially given the role of CEO. 

No one talked about the death. It was like an elephant in the room, but it was easier to ignore while Mark was staying with them. He couldn’t speak honestly to Jaehyun with his younger brother around. While Taeyong was without feelings, he knew his brother was mourning in his own way. Mark never gave up on hoping things would change. He still wanted to win the approval of his father in some way and the opportunity was presenting itself in just a short year. Mark could have been the businessman of his father’s dreams had the man not died. Taeyong opted to let him process his emotions on his own instead of flaunting his apathy so selfishly.

Jaehyun provided comfort in a unique way to both brothers. He sat with Mark and managed to have no conversation, just offering his presence in case the younger Lee wanted to talk. With Taeyong, he talked enough for the both of them about everything but the fact that Lee Enterprises was soon to be Taeyong’s company. He appreciated his efforts since the impending reality crept into his thoughts at night when he sat alone in his room. The past few nights, he had woken up Mark and asked him to just stay with him for the sake of having company.

It was the night before the funeral when Mark broke his silence.

“Is it bad that I’m not… sad? I don’t really feel anything.”

Taeyong shifted to his side so he could face the younger, eyes surveying his face. Mark laid with his eyes glued to the ceiling. His face was surprisingly peaceful considering all the time he had spent mulling over recent events. His dark hair stuck up in random places from his tossing and turning in an attempt to get comfortable. He was already twenty-one but Taeyong felt like he was looking at a child, lost and confused by their own emotions.

“It’s not bad.”

“He was our dad, Taeyong. I feel like I should at least feel something now that he’s gone.” Mark covered his face with his hands, rubbing at his eyes before just dropping his hands to the bed limply.

“He’s only our dad by technicalities. We raised ourselves, Mark. He wasn’t… He wasn’t a father to us in the slightest. I could count on my hands the number of conversations I’ve had with that man. On top of that, they were all about the company.”

Mark nodded, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “I don’t miss him. I just wish I could have had someone better. I wish I had a father to mourn. Instead, all I have is him and this fucking numbness in my chest.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to feel anything for him or our mother, but I have you. As far as I’m concerned, you are my only blood family and I’m okay with that.” Taeyong did his best to comfort him. They couldn’t change the person their dad was, but they could be thankful for each other. It was hard to see things that way when they would be facing his death head-on in the morning, but for now, this could be all that mattered.

“Taeyong, I swear to God if you let anything happen to you while working in that position, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I’m smarter than him.” He knew how to look at a contract instead of just signing it. That in itself guaranteed him more safety than his father had.

“I’m serious.” He turned to face his brother, eyes pleading. Taeyong couldn’t help but feel his eyes well up with tears to match the dark brown eyes boring into him.

He knew what it felt like to be scared to lose someone. It was why he stepped up to this position in the first place. The thought of having Mark get sucked into some shady deal and not come out alive by the end of it was how he agreed to take the position on the spot. He knew he had made the right choice now, but that didn’t mean that Mark was okay with standing to the side and letting Taeyong dirty his hands.

“I will stay alive if not only just for you. This company is you and me and it always will be.”

“I’ll never let you do this alone. I know you won’t tell me more than I need to know, but running that place is a two-person job.”

“Good thing we’re splitting it down the middle,” Taeyong reassured him with a soft smile.

The next morning, the three men got ready quietly. The black suits were put on and buttoned slowly. No one wanted to be at the memorial service for a variety of reasons. Taeyong and Mark each had their own but many overlapped. Jaehyun, on the other hand, didn’t want to go just for the fact that he didn’t know what to do anymore. He had spoken to the man once and knew where he stood with his children. He was going to this knowing he was supposed to be mourning the life of a man he never respected.

The service dragged on for what felt like ages. Taeyong was forced to give a speech typed up by his mother. His monotonous voice carried the lifeless words throughout the room. There was no way anyone was buying the eloquent testament to his father’s great life but he couldn’t find it in him to care. He ignored his mother’s deep scowl as he made his way back to his seat. He was here for one thing and one thing only. The reading of the will.

When the funeral ended and everyone had given their proper condolences, Taeyong and his family made their way outside. Jaehyun and Mark’s girlfriend, Minseo, were in tow despite the recent widow’s dismay. When they all were seated in the car, the older woman shot Taeyong an unamused look.

“Taeyong, sweetheart, you should have let me know you were bringing your lover.”

Jaehyun answered before Taeyong got a chance to, a light smirk playing on his lips. “I’m his closest friend as well as being friends with Mark. If you actually gave a shit about your children’s lives you would know that, seeing as I’ve been around for a few years now.”

Her eyes widened in shock before she took a cigarette out of her purse and lit it. She hadn’t smoked in a few years, but the stress of her husband’s death must be taking a toll. It had little to do with losing who was supposed to be the love of her life and more so with the fact that her beloved could have left her with nothing, choosing to pass everything on to his sons. “You certainly haven’t made a good first impression speaking to a woman who just lost her husband in such a derogatory fashion.”

“That’s enough.” Taeyong stepped in. “He’s coming with us and that’s final.”

He was getting good at putting his foot down which was probably a good thing, seeing as he was about to have to do it a lot. Jaehyun’s shoulders slumped next to him, probably misunderstanding the frustration. Taeyong was mad at his mother for trying to leave out the only person who was there for Taeyong and Mark when she never was. Minseo looked at Mark, clearly uncomfortable by the random confrontation and he placed a hand on her thigh, smiling gently at her. Taeyong couldn’t help but smile at the interaction. She was exactly what Mark needed, especially right now. 

Their mother however definitely lacked the same warm, fuzzy feelings. “Mark, the same goes for you. I don’t want just random people at this private meeting.”

“I plan on marrying her. She’s not some random person.” Taeyong’s brother was quick to defend his companion.

Minseo, however, wanted to make it known that she was capable of standing up for herself. She cleared her throat, turning and looking at the older woman with a polite, yet forced, smile. “I was planning on waiting outside, Mrs. Lee. Believe it or not, I have enough courtesy to allow the family of a recently departed to have some privacy.”

Taeyong had to repress a laugh. He never got the opportunity to see Minseo’s fiery side, but now that he had, it just made him like her even more. 

The two guests clearly didn’t have time for Taeyong’s mother to play pretend and try to slip into the role of the caring and invested mother. Neither were afraid of letting her know that they weren’t scared of her. For the first time in his life, Taeyong watched the woman that was absent from his whole life flush in embarrassment. He wondered how his father would react in the same situation. His mother wasn’t quite bold enough to fight back, knowing which battles to fight. His father, however, would probably be sharpening his sword, planning an attack that would cut deep and land him on top. He would have met his match with Jaehyun and Minseo. They were both willing to say what their loved ones weren’t.

When they got to Lee Enterprises, Minseo waited outside as promised. Taeyong tried to get Jaehyun to join him inside and sit at his right hand, but the man refused, saying he would take the time to get to know Mark’s girlfriend. Taeyong and Mark walked in alone, sitting at one end of the table while their mother sat opposite of them. The current executive VP of the company sat beside her, staring down at his hands. The CEO’s death basically confirmed the man’s job being gone. Mark and Taeyong would come in and clean house, bringing in all their own staff and he would be out on the street. Maybe Mark would demote him but keep him around. They could afford to keep his pay the same, regardless of his title.

Various other family members filled the spots at the table. Their presence was pointless. Taeyong had never met any of his relatives, meaning that they didn’t have any importance to his father. There was no way they would be getting anything, but they seemed to weasel their way into the meeting with greedy hands and empty hearts.

The family attorney stood at the head of the table while he pulled the written document out of the manilla folder. He cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention. The contents weren’t surprising in the least. The company was to be left to Taeyong and Mark. Any property or money in their father’s name would be left to their mother. No one else was to receive a penny. The VP was only written into the will to be interim CEO until Mark was twenty-one making his part of the cut invalid. 

Taeyong nodded politely before standing up. “Thank you, everyone, for coming. Now if you don’t mind, I would like to go home and rest. Mark and I have a company to take over come Monday morning.”

Mark followed Taeyong’s lead while their mother stayed behind. She had to fill out countless documents transferring everything into her name. Taeyong and Mark simply had to show up to work and claim their office spaces. As soon as they closed the door, they could see family members swamp their mother through the clouded glass. If their father couldn’t be generous, maybe they could get something out of his poor wife now that she was alone. Their stupidity was almost laughable. The only person in this world greedier than Taeyong’s father was his mother. They would still leave the room empty-handed.

Jaehyun and Minseo sat in the lobby, politely chatting back and forth. When Minseo saw Mark, she stood up and made her way over to him. 

He smiled at her softly. “You’re looking at the new CEO’s of Lee Enterprises.”

She hugged him, placing a kiss on his cheek. “You’ll be wonderful.”

Mark looked at Taeyong, eyes asking if he could leave. When Taeyong looked back at his best friend, Jaehyun sat with his elbows resting on his knees, staring at the ground. Taeyong looked back at Mark, motioning to go on ahead before he moved to sit next to Jaehyun.

Once the two were out of the room, Jaehyun spoke up. “I don’t want you to do this.”

“Jae, I don’t really have a choice.”

“You do have a choice. You can leave it all behind right now. Become an artist. Stop living for other people and live for yourself.” His voice was rising, panic filling his eyes. 

“I could never do that to Mark.”

“Mark’s a big boy now, Taeyong. I think he can figure out how to handle a few criminals.” Jaehyun scoffed, standing up to begin pacing in the small unoccupied lobby area. 

“I’m not leaving this to him and getting him killed.”

“So you would rather die?” Jaehyun asked in disbelief.

Taeyong nodded slowly, realizing the gravity of the statement he was about to make. “If it meant Mark got to stay alive.”

“And what about me? Where does that leave me? Do my feelings not mean anything to you?” 

Taeyong could see the tears welling in Jaehyun’s eyes no matter how he tried to hide it. It hurt him to see the younger like this, lit on fire by his fear of the future and rage for the past.

“Jaehyun, that’s not fair. He’s my family.”

“And you’re mine!” Jaehyun shouted, the words echoing around the space and stabbing Taeyong in the chest.

Taeyong couldn’t say anything. Jaehyun was blinded by his own fears to realize what he was asking Taeyong to do. The older man didn’t want to continue the fight any longer and have it lead to more pain and hurt. 

Jaehyun slowed his walking, turning to face Taeyong with his arms crossed. His voice was much softer when he spoke this time. “I’m tired of you being in constant danger. Being the CEO of the bullshit your dad ran is just going to make things worse. I mean for fuck's sake, Taeyong, the man got killed. Aren’t you scared?” 

“Heart attack.” The words slipped out of Taeyong’s mouth with ease as he formulated a lie. With how little Jaehyun knew about his father’s passing, it would be easy to construct a fallacy now. He needed Jaehyun to let him do this and he needed there to be as little pain as possible. “He died of a heart attack because of the stress of the job. If he would have known when to say no, it would have been different.”

Jaehyun shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever be okay with this.”

“Honestly, I won’t be either. This is something I have to do so you’re more than welcome to leave if you want. I know this isn’t for everyone.”

“I said I would always be by your side and I meant it. No matter what you do, you’ll have me.”

The start of the next week was when Taeyong had to face reality. He had his lawyer draw up a confidentiality contract that made employees aware that if they were to share the secrets of the company, they would be killed no questions asked. He brought in each person on the top floor, explaining that he would be happy to help them find a new job, but they couldn’t stay here. Jaehyun and Doyoung both sat in on the meetings to take notes. If anyone acted like they weren’t handling it well, Jaehyun or Doyoung would monitor their activity and ensure that they weren’t leaking private information about the company deals.

The second matter of business was to start fresh and bring in new employees that Taeyong felt like he could trust. Both Doyoung and Jaehyun were present for those interviews as well. Taeyong had a habit of trusting no one, Jaehyun was able to see the positive attributes in every prospective employee, and Doyoung provided a solid middle ground to help come to a compromise.

By the end of the week, they had filled every position. Moon Taeil would oversee the properties under the Lee name and help maintain Taeyong’s new standards. He would help cycle out all of the women who were there under some form of sex slavery and help them get the help they needed. Instead of using illegal means, Taeyong asked him to hire strippers and come to a conclusion on a fair wage that they could support themselves on. Taeil seemed happy to take on the challenge and said he would relay any information he could about the people in charge of the sex rings.

Nakamoto Yuta was hired to take over firearms and weapons. Taeyong had implemented a new plan to make sure each deal was made to underground groups that Taeyong had approved. Yuta was supposed to make a new system for black market sales that logged every purchase and sale of a weapon and who it was sold to. It wasn’t a perfect plan by any means, but it did give Taeyong piece of mind knowing that he had a little bit of control over which weapons got into whose hands.

Drugs were an inescapable indulgence for many people in the underground. It wasn’t something Taeyong could completely remove himself from. What he could do instead was hire someone who would guarantee the selling of pure drugs that hadn’t been laced by harmful materials. Johnny Seo seemed like the man to do it. He was friendly and bright but had a cold edge that Taeyong couldn’t quite place his finger on. Johnny was willing to help in any way he could, enthusiasm showing the first day on the job.

The final position Taeyong felt like was important to fill right away was a second assassin. The new CEO was about to make a lot of people angry with the number of deals he was about to cut. He wasn’t willing to send Jaehyun out to handle every single one. When Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, who went by Ten, walked into the office for his interview, Taeyong knew that this man was the best option. He was skilled in knife work and preferred to work closely in order to get the job done. He was charismatic and Taeyong could see how close range could work for him with his alluring personality. He was given his own list of people to keep an eye on for the time being. He wasn’t supposed to act unless given the okay by Taeyong, but he seemed perfectly fine laying in wait and studying the targets’ movements.

On that late Friday night, Doyoung joined Taeyong and Jaehyun at their apartment, celebrating with drinks and cheap takeout. Mark joined them later, forcing himself to stay awake as they all talked. It was nice for Taeyong to be able to relax like this. The week was easily the most stressful in his entire life seeing as he had to kill 3 past employees while also breaking contracts left and right. Sitting with people he trusted made the whole thing almost bearable. 

Jaehyun and Doyoung had been getting along now that Taeyong was including them both in everything. He couldn’t do this alone and Jaehyun was right there. It was stupid not to fill in his strongest ally when he was in the middle of it all. He was wrong last year to hide so much from him and he lived with that regret every day. Now, with Jaehyun and Doyoung both by his side, he could only look on at his best friend in admiration. Jaehyun stuck by him even when he had every right to leave. He had been there through the hardest parts of Taeyong’s life and did it all with a smile. The two of them with Mark was their own makeshift family and Taeyong was satisfied.

Doyoung was in the middle of telling Mark about some of the horrible interviews they had when Taeyong drew his focus back to the present. Mark’s strong laugh filled the room as Doyoung narrated animatedly, hands moving in wild gestures. Jaehyun took a sip of his whiskey before smiling at the sight in front of him. For the first time in Taeyong’s life, he felt at peace.

The next few years were far from easy. Taeyong’s closest and most valued employees found themselves in and out of the hospital because of a deal gone wrong. Taeyong had made plenty of enemies since he took over as CEO, but he couldn’t find it in him to care. He felt as if he was doing the right thing. Removing the company from the underground was impossible and also something he wanted to do less and less. Too many of these people were participating in crime just to pay bills. They were doing what was necessary to make ends meet. Sure, it wasn’t the best method, but jobs were hard to come by and if you could make good money doing what you were doing, why risk losing so much when you can stick with what you were doing. Taeyong wanted to help the people who were seeking it and turn away the people who planned to abuse it. So far, things were going as well as they could be.

Jaehyun continued his work despite getting hurt quite a few times. Nothing was ever too serious or life-threatening, and he was able to brush it off with ease and jump right back in as soon as he could. Doyoung was more helpful than Taeyong could have ever imagined. He was a multitasking extraordinaire and was able to juggle anything Taeyong threw at him. He had quickly slipped into a more scout-like position, getting Jaehyun as much information as he could before the assassin went in to do his part of the job.

The only person that seemed to be slacking was Ten. The first year, he started off strong. Not a single mission was left incomplete. As soon as he proved his worth, he started getting sloppy. More and more mistakes were being made and while they put everyone in the company at risk, Ten didn’t seem to be bothered. His hands-on technique that he bragged about in his interview ended up simply meaning seduction. This tactic only worked if his target was a closeted homosexual or was at least curious about what it would be like. Ten apparently had managed to kill all the gay men in the underground already because he was striking out more and more frequently, forcing him to act desperately. The problem could be an easy fix if he would switch from flirting to charming and attempt to make deals instead of trying to fuck someone to death.

Taeyong pushed the thoughts out of his head as he drew his attention back to the matter at hand. Jaehyun wasn’t answering his phone and there was work to be done. The only option was to go and talk to him in person.

Taeyong searched through his emails as he rode up the elevator to Jaehyun’s apartment. After his meeting this morning, he learned that one of his acquaintances’ employees was actively involved in the gang that Taeyong’s company had been battling for almost a year now. The Third Eye, as they liked to call themselves, wanted to reinvent what taking drugs meant. Their goal was a stronger and longer high that would create an elevated experience. The whole motto sounded like a poorly constructed infomercial. The only problem with the group was that the modified substances had a much higher overdose rate. There was little to no monitoring of the products and they didn’t really like when Taeyong attempted to enforce any regulation.

Jaehyun had the day off today, but Taeyong felt like this was something they needed to act on quickly. After not answering three calls in a row, Taeyong was really left with only one choice on how to get ahold of his best friend. He felt bad for waking him up so early, but he could get some rest after this matter was taken care of. 

Once he reached his door, he knocked once before waiting for a few seconds. He rapped his knuckles against the wood a second time just for good measure. “Jaehyun, it’s me. I need to talk to you.”

Not even a minute later the door opened. Jaehyun stood in front of the older with disheveled hair and nothing but a pair of sweats signaling he had just rolled out of bed. “Taeyong, I have-”

Taeyong pushed past him, not waiting for him to finish as he made his way into the apartment. As he rounded the corner, his eyes fell on a woman standing in the kitchen. She didn’t seem to be wearing anything other than Jaehyun’s shirt and while Taeyong wanted to be embarrassed by his intrusion, really he was just confused as to who she was. It was out of character for him to have a one night stand, but with the breakfast ingredients covering the counter, Taeyong figured this wasn’t a one-time thing.

“A guest.” He gave the woman a once over again. “I didn’t realize.”

Her eyes widened as she looked from Taeyong to Jaehyun, clearly unsure of what to do. This had to be uncomfortable for both of them.

“Taeyong, this is my girlfriend, ___. ___, this is my boss, Taeyong.” Jaehyun gestured between the two, appearing somewhat exasperated by the exchange. This probably wasn’t how Jaehyun imaged this first meeting going.

Taeyong did his best to give the stranger a bright smile. Upon getting a closer look at her face, he couldn’t help but feel as if he knew her in some way. “It’s nice to meet you. Have I seen you somewhere? You look extremely familiar.” 

“I’m not sure, maybe. I’m a reporter. I’ve been to a few of your press conferences.”

His smile instantly fell as dread filled every inch of his body. Jaehyun was dating someone in the press. He was dating someone that could expose everything about the company on live television without a second thought. He forced the words out of his mouth despite the fact that all he wanted to do was walk out and scold his best friend later. “You’re a reporter?”

Jaehyun pinched the bridge of his nose and his girlfriend’s brows furrowed, catching on that she may have said something wrong by the way she studied his face. She was a quick one at least. When she looked back at Taeyong, her words were slow and unsure. “Um, yes sir.”

The air suddenly grew heavy and Taeyong’s friendly presence was gone faster than he walked in. It was hard to be friendly to someone who could ruin his life as well as everyone close to him.

“I heard you say you needed to talk to Jaehyun. I’ll just go to the other room.” She pointed behind her to the bedroom before making her way out. Taeyong was thankful that she was smart enough to know when she wasn’t wanted.

“Jaehyun, what are you doing?” Taeyong was more disappointed than anything. After everything they had been through together, to have him risk it all for a relationship that might not even work was hurtful. 

“I’m not doing anything wrong. It’s not like she knows anything.” Jaehyun defended himself and the worst part of it was he was right. He wasn’t doing anything wrong but it didn’t stop Taeyong from getting defensive.

Taeyong shook his head placing his hands on the counter and hanging his head. It hurt to look at his best friend right now. “No, you’re fucking around. You’re putting everyone at risk. You can’t just-”

Jaehyun interrupted him, voice calm but filled with rage all the same. “Can’t just what, Taeyong? Have a personal life? I didn’t sell my soul to your company.”

“No. But, you signed a contract.” He turned his head to look at the other man in the room, reminding him of all the promises he made to this company.

Jaehyun scoffed, shaking his head before walking further away from his bedroom and into the living room. “That contract didn’t tell me I can’t date. This is childish and you know it.” 

“This isn’t childish.” Taeyong raised his voice. He felt like he was justified. Someone with loose lips was the reason his father was dead, and while he didn’t mourn that loss, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if Mark or Jaehyun met a similar fate. “It said that you wouldn’t endanger the company.”

“I’m not. I haven’t done or said anything.” Jaehyun rubbed his forehead, taking a deep breath to help him remain stable while Taeyong pushed his buttons. “If you care so much about all your secrets, you should lower your voice. Who knows what she can hear.”

“I don’t trust her. She’s a reporter. Of all people, you’re choosing to fuck a reporter.” 

“I’m not just fucking her. If you keep talking to me this way I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” He turned away from him, moving to sit down on the couch, a sign that he was defeated. Taeyong remained standing as if to say nothing more than the fact that he is still in charge. This is his company that’s facing endangerment by Jaehyun’s reckless choices.

“I don’t approve of this.” Taeyong shook his head lightly, looking at the floor. It upset him too much to see Jaehyun like this and he was too much of a coward to face the reality of what his words had done.

“Can you pull the stick out of your ass for one second and treat me like your friend instead of your employee?” Jaehyun’s voice was beginning to rise. He was hurt in a way that he had never been before and it was Taeyong’s fault. With all the fights they had, every slight disagreement to violent explosion, nothing Taeyong had ever said had left a lasting impression. Somehow, attacking this woman upset Jaehyun in ways Taeyong didn’t know were possible. 

Jaehyun’s small outburst caused silence to fall over the apartment. He had never spoken to Taeyong that way, but the older deserved it with the way he had been berating him from the second he walked in the door.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you date anyone in the entirety of our friendship.” Taeyong’s voice was much lower than before. This argument wasn’t one he wanted to have. He wanted to trust Jaehyun as he had for the past 8 years.

“Because I haven’t. I’ve been too committed to helping you.” Jaehyun said honestly and shame washed over Taeyong. He had spent years of his life by Taeyong’s side, serving him and helping him in ways that no one else would and this is how he gets treated in return.

Taeyong walked to sit next to his best friend on the couch, swallowing his pride for just a moment. “The company could burn down and I wouldn’t care. I can rebuild it. What I do care about is whether or not you get hurt.”

“Why didn’t you just say that to begin with instead of putting up this huge front?”

“I don’t know, Jaehyun.” It was the truth. It didn’t make sense by itself so he forced himself to continue. “I don’t have a lot of people in my life that I actually care about. I feel like no one sees me as a person anymore besides you. I don’t think I know how to properly show I care about you. Or anyone for that matter.”

“So you don’t trust her because of the risk to the company or because of the risk to me?” Jaehyun looked at him, waiting for the answer despite knowing it.

“The risk to you,” Taeyong whispered.

Jaehyun nodded and the two sat in silence for a minute. It wasn’t often that Taeyong got a chance to be open with Jaehyun. Lately, he had been boarding his feelings up again because of the way that the gang had spiraled out of control. He was so scared of losing everything that he chose to block out the ones that mattered to him. Now, as he sat with Jaehyun on the couch, he regretted it. He hated the way this past year had gone and from here on out, he decided that it was time to fix it. 

“I’m happy, you know.” His best friend finally broke the silence.

“I can tell.” It was true. Jaehyun had been lighter lately, not so burdened by the stresses of the job. It was nice to see him acting somewhat like the person he was when they first met. 

“I feel like I finally have a reason to come home at night. Before her, I had nothing but this job. I hate that you’re busy all the time because I haven’t even had you lately. It used to be me and you, man.” 

The words hurt. Even when Taeyong first took over the company, he still carved out time for Jaehyun. After the two had moved out of their shared apartment and into private ones, the two saw each other less outside of work. It was Taeyong’s fault really for letting work monopolize his every thought. “Maybe we can get dinner. Invite a couple of the guys. Take a break for once.”

“Thank god. Was starting to think that break wasn’t in your vocabulary.” He smirked, teasing the older.

“Shut the fuck up,” Taeyong mumbled, trying to repress the grin that was threatening to take over his face. He missed Jaehyun more than words could even express, but how was he supposed to find time to hang out when the other now had a girlfriend that was probably a high priority.

There was only one real option and it should have been something Taeyong did a long time ago. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop working so much. I get the point. And Jaehyun?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll try to give ___ a chance.” It was an earnest statement. He loved Mark’s girlfriend and they had been together for years. Maybe this woman would be a similar situation for Jaehyun.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.” The grin that took over Jaehyun’s face made Taeyong’s chest burn. He really cared about this reporter. Part of him was happy that Jaehyun was able to have such an intimate relationship despite his job and the other part of him was jealous. Taeyong felt the burden of everything Jaehyun went through. He couldn’t imagine how much worse it would get if he truly fell in love with someone.

“I’m sorry for stopping by unexpected. I can’t really discuss what I need to seeing as you have a guest. I’ll need you to come to my office tomorrow. I have a new project.”

The next few months went by with few hiccups. Everyone’s assignments seemed to be going well. Each branch of the top floor was bringing in plenty of profit in a safe manner. The clubs were booming with popularity. Taeyong had managed to ease off on his workload, spending more time with Jaehyun and his brother. He was finally starting to feel himself again. 

He flipped through the file on the desk. It was a copy of the information Doyoung had collected on Jaehyun’s newest target. A new terrorist group had made themselves known in the underground, threatening to destroy anything and anyone that tried to stop them. They believed in a reformed government with minimal capitalism. So far they had managed to bomb a few corporate buildings to send warnings to the companies inhabiting them. Doyoung was able to track down the face of the group and report back to Taeyong.

Jaehyun hadn’t had the same luck as the scout. He had been on this mission for about two weeks now and had yet to make any progress. It had gotten to the point that he was carrying his gun with him everywhere, threatening to shoot the second he got a chance. Taeyong tried to talk some sense into him, but it was hard when the younger had never faced such difficulty in his four years as an assassin. He had made a name for himself as the best hitman in the country, and he felt almost as if he was letting everyone, as well as himself, down by failing to complete the mission in a timely matter.

Taeyong sat over his desk in the study at his apartment, the weak yellow light from his lamp illuminating the pages as he took in the information. As if on cue, Taeyong’s phone lit up with a text before the entire screen filled with Jaehyun’s name as it vibrated lightly against the wood.

“Jaehyun?”

“Hey, Taeyong. I need you to send someone to clean up my mess. I sent you the location.” His voice sounded frantic through the phone. He had to have managed to kill his target with the way his tone shook, still high on adrenaline and an unexpected encounter.

Taeyong pulled the phone away from his ear. The pinned location was in the alley behind some high-end French restaurant. 

“Jaehyun, are you an idiot? You’re in the middle of a highly-populated area. You can’t shoot someone just because you saw them.”

“I know it was stupid, but I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity when I had him where I needed him.” Jaehyun paused for a second. “I did meet a little bit of a bump, but we can talk about it in the office tomorrow.”

“I’ll call Jungwoo now. Make sure you are in the office first thing tomorrow morning.” Taeyong rubbed his forehead and screwed his eyes shut. Never had Jaehyun been so sloppy before. Impromptu completions weren’t unheard of for the man, but this was risky. He had put his life and the company out on the line to complete this mission. Was the pressure of the target getting to him? Was the mission that high of a priority to him that he became blinded by the idea of success?

Taeyong went to the office at four in the morning, unable to sleep. He worked in the dim light of his private space, the area to the cubicles dark and quiet. The sun rose slowly on that Saturday morning, bathing the room in a rich golden light. Paperwork slowly got shifted through as a couple of his employees made their way into the office. It wasn’t unheard of for the top floor of Lee Enterprises to be filled on the weekends. Yuta was first to walk in, giving a polite nod to his boss in the office. He had an underground auction to attend tonight, his only job was to prevent certain buyers from getting their hands on anything. He would be taking the company arsonist with him just for the sake of having backup. Johnny was in the office next. Saturday’s were big days for him, meaning he needed to stock up and make sure all his information was logged before he went out and did business.

Jaehyun came out of the elevator next, his eyes rimmed with red as he walked into the glass-enclosed room. Hair was still ruffled from a night of tossing and turning. His shirt was wrinkled, presumably from spending the night on his floor. Taeyong didn’t fail to notice just how stressed he looked.

“Hey.” His voice was raspy as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of the sleek desk. Taeyong replaced his father’s marble top with simple glass. He could see Jaehyun’s downcast face in the reflection of the surface.

Taeyong leaned forward, concern etched into his features. “What happened last night? You never act like that…”

“I was at dinner with ___ and seeing that man so close to her, I freaked. I saw him walk out back and so I took the chance.” His voice caught in his throat before he continued. “She saw me, Taeyong. She saw me kill him.”

Taeyong felt as if his blood run cold. Somewhere out there was Jaehyun’s girlfriend and she could bring down Jaehyun with a single sentence. Taeyong was about to lose his best friend.

“Jaehyun. What happened after?” His voice was somehow slow and steady despite the fear coursing through his veins.

His best friend ran a hand through his hair. “I told her everything. I knew there was no way in hell I could cover it up, but maybe if she knew why I was doing what I was doing, she would see where I’m coming from.”

“And?”

“She’s back at my apartment.”

Taeyong felt the building pressure release from his chest knowing that somehow she decided to stay. “I’ll need to talk to her.”   
Jaehyun nodded, standing up and turning to walk out the door. He hadn’t looked at Taeyong once during that whole visit. The stress Taeyong was feeling clearly didn’t compare to the trials Jaehyun was facing. Taeyong wanted so bad to understand what he was going through, but he had to put his safety first.

He dialed Mark’s number, pressing the phone to his ear as the rings sounded.

“Hello?” Mark’s voice was groggy, signaling that he had just woken up.

Taeyong couldn’t even hold back, launching into how Jaehyun’s girlfriend saw him kill his target and now she knew everything. He unloaded all his stresses about what to do now, knowing he only had a little bit of time before the couple would be sitting in front of him.

“Do you still have those contracts we made those guys sign before we fired them?” He asked, voice slightly muffled, probably from his pillow or comforter.

“I think I have a few somewhere. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.” It was so obvious now that Mark had said it, Taeyong was embarrassed that he didn’t come up with it himself but it was to be expected considering his current mental state.

“I don’t think you’ll have to use it, it’s just to let her know how serious this is.”

Taeyong stood up, pinning the phone to his shoulder so he could sift through one of the filing cabinets on the wall. He knew he held onto at least one copy just in case he ever found himself in a similar position again. When he found the stack of unsigned contracts, he allowed a soft smile to grace his lips. “Thank you, Mark. Go back to sleep.”

Mark laughed. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. Minseo woke up and she’s insisting on a breakfast date.”

“Have fun. I’ll see you on Monday.” 

He hung up, slinking back to his desk to review the document. The details were very vague, allowing it to be used for a variety of situations. Taeyong thanked his lawyer silently as he flipped through the pages, placing a single copy in his top drawer and returning the rest back to the filing cabinet. Now the only thing left to do was wait for their arrival.

He worked on one last agreement, reviewing the case and the conditions when Jaehyun knocked. He waved the couple in, removing his glasses and setting them on the desk. “Darken the glass, please, Jaehyun.” 

There weren’t a lot of people in the office, but he still wanted as much privacy as he could get with the conversation he was about to have.

Jaehyun’s girlfriend’s eyes widened as the glass turned opaque. She moved to sit in the seat in front of Taeyong reluctantly, continually checking to watch Jaehyun’s movements. She only relaxed slightly when her boyfriend sat next to her, resting his hand on top of hers and giving her as gentle of a smile as he could muster.

Taeyong genuinely felt sorry for the woman. She looked like she hadn’t slept all night and cowered under his gaze. He did his best to soften his eyes, but he knew that he needed to hold firm. She had to know that he was serious about the threats he would end up making.

Taeyong spoke first, his voice surprisingly strong and confident given the uncertainty that haunted his mind. “Well, ___, I wish I could say it was nice to see you again, but these aren’t exactly ideal circumstances are they?”

“No, sir.” She shook her head before meeting Taeyong’s eyes more confidently. She seemed to be studying him intently, eyes searching for something she just couldn’t seem to find.

“I need you to tell me exactly what happened last night.” He kept his voice as flat as possible, wanting to appear unaffected by her. She couldn’t know how much power she had in this situation.

Jaehyun’s girlfriend launched into an extremely detailed recount of her night as Jaehyun watched her intently. She sounded sure of her words until she mentioned the discussion that was had at Jaehyun’s apartment. Jaehyun had revealed secrets about the people he killed and Taeyong’s motives. She kept looking out of the corner of her eye as if checking to make sure she hadn’t said something wrong. Jaehyun never changed his expression so she continued. 

He leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk. “It lines up.” He paused. “Were you afraid you were oversharing? Your tone lost confidence quickly once you began discussing your conversation with Jaehyun.” 

“I was.” She nodded. Taeyong respected her transparency. It wasn’t something he expected her to have given her experiences from last night.

“But you continued anyway?”

You swallowed deeply, Taeyong watching the small muscles contract in your neck. Your nerves were as plain as day and Taeyong felt bad for how uncomfortable you clearly were. “Jaehyun told me to be honest.”

He leaned back in his chair, eyes still not leaving hers. “Do you plan to stay with him?”

“Yes.” 

“I need you to sign something for me.” He opened his desk drawer, pulling the small packet of papers out. He realized just how this would be received by Jaehyun and instantly regretted his decision, even if it seemed like the only option. “It’s a contract of sorts.”

“What’s it for?” She asked, accepting the packet before looking at him, waiting for an explanation.

“It’s just saying that even if your relationship with Jaehyun were to end, your knowledge of his job and the inner workings of this corporation are to remain secret. This technically applies to in the relationship, too. I just assumed that you wouldn’t really want to ruin his life if you’re in love with him. I doubt we’ll ever have to use it.” Taeyong explained, getting out a pen to hand to her.

Jaehyun’s eyes narrowed, staring at the paper with unsettling familiarity. He looked up at his best friend, waiting for the rest of the explanation.

She spoke so hesitantly, probably already having figured out what the implications were if she were to go back on the agreement. “What happens if I don’t?”

“At that point, you would be a threat to the company. I would treat you the same as all other threats. I’ll send someone to have you killed.” Even delivering such a lethal sentence, Taeyong’s tone stayed steady and clear. He was proud of himself for creating such a calm exterior despite feeling all his confidence leave him at the moment he needed it most.

Jaehyun stood up, slamming his hands on the glass desktop. His eyes were crazed like a wild animal as he stared Taeyong down. “We never agreed to this.”

“This isn’t something up for discussion, Jaehyun.” Taeyong’s calm demeanor laid such a heavy contrast with Jaehyun’s angry one. He had to hold his ground. This was possibly his hardest decision as the new CEO and he had no idea where he would find the strength to follow through with it.

“Would you do the same to someone you were with? Make them sign a contract that offers up their life?” Jaehyun yelled at him. Taeyong wouldn’t know what he would do if it was someone he was dating. He had only ever loved two people in this world and both worked closely with him. There were no contracts necessary when Mark and Jaehyun were both neck-deep in the company as well.

“Yes.” His tone carried the flat pitch he needed to let Jaehyun know he wasn’t going to be changing his mind. No matter how much it hurt, Taeyong knew he would have to do the same thing to a girl if he ever decided to date. “The actuality of what this company is being exposed to would not only ruin your life but everyone else’s who works here. And what about the so-called companies we keep in line? She either agrees to it or she dies. It’s very simple.”

“Fuck this and fuck you.” Jaehyun stormed out of the secluded office, taking Taeyong’s crumbling heart with him. His best friend had turned his back on him and Taeyong couldn’t blame him. How could he ever understand where Taeyong was coming from when the CEO just put on a mask for everyone in the room. As far as Jaehyun knew, Taeyong didn’t care about making her sign this contract.

He knew his untouchable facade was gone by the way Jaehyun’s girlfriend’s face shifted. She had gone from utter shock to confusion that could almost be mistaken for pity. He dropped his head into his hands, taking a deep breath. He regretted everything about this. If there was any other way, he would run out of the private office to find Jaehyun and talk to him. He only hoped that his best friend could one day understand the choice Taeyong made.

He looked at the woman in front of him, not being able to help the frown that pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I hate being like this. I never wanted to be in this position. I told my father before he passed that it would be wise to leave this side to someone else, someone older. I hate making people agree to bullshit like this. I really am sorry, ___.”

She nodded, seemingly understanding the position he was put in. While she had been thrown into this life only hours ago, she seemed to pick up quick. Picking up the pen, she signed the contract before handing the pages back to him, offering a sympathetic smile.

“Before you leave, can I just talk to you about something?” He couldn’t help but stop her as she got up to exit the room. Things may be ruined with Jaehyun, but that shouldn’t mean that his girlfriend should have to be miserable as well.

“Yes.” She surprisingly sat back down in front of him, giving the CEO her full attention.

“I know that it’s been a lot in less than 24 hours. I never want to get an outsider involved, especially not when it comes to Jaehyun’s side of the business. I knew this would happen, which is why I was pretty cold to you when we first met. I didn’t know if I could trust you. Not to be sappy, but I’m not just talking about for my company. Jaehyun is very important to me. He was honestly my first real friend. I wouldn’t be super happy if he got hurt.” He was laying his soul out on the table for this reporter to take. Swallowing his doubt, he decided this was the right decision. If Jaehyun trusted her, so could Taeyong.

“I don’t really know what to say.”

“I don’t expect you to say anything. Just know that it’s going to take a while for me to trust you. Especially since you’re a reporter. You have too many outlets to expose what this is. Jaehyun really chose to play with fire when he started seeing you.”

She accepted his admission, getting up out of her chair a final time.

Taeyong pushed away from his desk, standing and walking towards the door. His hand rested on the handle of the door before he spoke, looking at the woman beside him.

“Just so you know, ___, you’re apart of this life now. I know it sucks because you didn’t technically sign up for it, but no one seeing someone like Jaehyun can be completely removed from his work life. I hope you understand that.” It was a warning that he hoped resonated in her soul. Knowing what Jaehyun did wasn’t the end of this and she needed to be aware of what she was getting herself into. The last thing Taeyong wanted was for her to stay with his best friend and get his hopes up just to leave a few months later. Taeyong couldn’t bear to see someone he loved in a pain like that.

“I do.” She reassured him but Taeyong knew she didn’t know what she was agreeing to. He let the two words comfort him anyway.

“Thank you for coming this morning. I appreciated talking to you.” Taeyong flipped a switch, returning the glass to its normal transparent state. “Tell your boyfriend that I’ll see him on Monday. He has a new assignment.” 

As soon as she was out the door, Taeyong walked back to his desk, trying to keep his emotions from spilling over. He had possibly just lost his best friend because of a choice he was forced to make. Taeyong spent his entire life wishing things could be different, but it had never been more true than at this moment. The look on Jaehyun’s face when he saw the contract was one that would be burned into his memory forever. There was no escaping the betrayal he had just committed. 

Jaehyun didn’t speak about his feelings a lot. The girl he was dating was never mentioned, even after Taeyong saw her in the middle of his best friend’s kitchen just three months prior. However, with the disheveled state Jaehyun was in when he came into the office, the desperation dripping from every word as he told Taeyong about what happened, it was clear he cared for her deeply. He saw something that Taeyong hadn’t yet. Taeyong honestly hoped he never saw the person Jaehyun fell in love with. It would make his decision so much more real and shame would cling to his back like drops of sweat.

He looked at the signed document in front of him. She had done put pen to paper so willingly. That alone should be enough to prove to Taeyong that she was serious about Jaehyun. Taeyong couldn’t find it in him to care about that right now. All he knew was that he had hurt Jaehyun deeply and it was something that he couldn’t take back. He was forced to choose between his job and his best friend and he chose work. While Taeyong knew that this decision was to protect Jaehyun, it was evident that the other man didn’t see that right now. Taeyong didn’t know when he would.

The next week consisted of mostly silence from Jaehyun. Taeyong couldn’t blame him really, but he still wished that he could have his friend by his side. Instead of hounding him and forcing him to have a conversation with him, Taeyong gave him space. All information regarding his assignments was delivered through Doyoung. When Jaehyun was ready to see Taeyong, the door was open. Until then, Taeyong would wait patiently.

It was on a Friday night, the sun setting over the skyline of Seoul behind Taeyong’s broad frame when Jaehyun walked into the office, immediately darkening the glass and sitting in front of the CEO. No words had been spoken yet and it was because Taeyong didn’t know what to say.

Jaehyun broke the silence, meeting Taeyong’s eyes for the first time since last Saturday. “Why? Why did you do it?”

Taeyong took a deep breath, feeling his eyes water. “I didn’t want to.”

“You didn’t seem like you cared that morning.”

“I needed her to take me seriously. If something were to happen between the two of you… Jaehyun, I don’t want to lose you because of something I brought you into. You agreed to be my bodyguard, not a professional assassin.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that’s what you were going to do when I came and saw you first? You let me walk out thinking you weren’t going to give my girlfriend a life or death ultimatum.”

“I didn’t know I was going to do it. I was so fucking  _ scared  _ when you left my office that morning. You are one of the only people I care about in this world and no matter what I chose to do, it would end up hurting you.”

Jaehyun looked away, playing with his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I should have made you stay and discuss with me what to do. It’s your life, I shouldn’t be dictating it.”

“We both could have done things differently, but we just need to be open with each other from now on,” Jaehyun said earnestly. “Look, I want ___ in my life for a long time. Possibly forever if I can ever get her to agree to it. I’m… I’m going to be as protective of her as I am over you.”

Taeyong nodded. “I told you I would try to like her, but you have to keep in mind that I’m protective over you, as well. Right now, all I see her as is a risk to your safety. I know that she may not be, I just hope you understand where I’m coming from.”

“That’s why I’ve been so scared of talking about her this whole time.”

“I think if you talked about her more, it would make me feel better.”

“Well, it’s over now. I just don’t want to be in that position again.”

Taeyong promised him he wouldn’t go behind his back again, mending the friendship for the time being. Little did he know, the peace couldn’t last forever.

Ten strolled in his office one morning about a month and a half later, sighing dramatically. “Boss, we have a problem.”

Taeyong looked at him from over the rim of his glasses. “When do we not anymore?”

“I completed my last assignment.” Ten pointed out needlessly.

“You wanna talk about the seven before that?” Taeyong blatantly remembered the multiple files and cases he had to pass off to Jaehyun.

“I’d prefer if we didn’t.”

Taeyong sighed, rubbing his forehead. “You’re becoming a real pain in my ass.”

“Look, all I’m going to say is that I can fix this. I just need to take a different approach.”

“Yeah,  _ no shit _ , Ten,” Taeyong snapped at him, his calm facade fading fast. “This isn’t working and hasn’t been for a while. Use your charms in a way that will get the job done or get the fuck out of my office so I can find someone who’s actually competent.”

Ten got up, making a real show of exiting the office and walking all the way to the elevator. He leaned out of the opened metal doors, giving Taeyong a small wave before going down to the lobby.

Taeyong rolled his eyes at his flamboyance before sifting through his recent files for Ten’s current case. Doyoung had finally managed to track down the leader of Korea’s sex ring, taking notes of as much as he could. Once Taeyong knew what he looked like and his name, he was able to gather more information on him. Taeil was familiar with the man because of his frequent visits to one of Taeyong’s clubs. It just so happened to be the one location that still had prostitutes working to provide additional services.

With the file closed back up and slipped into his bag, Taeyong made his way out of the office and to Jaehyun’s apartment. Unfortunately, Jaehyun had to clean up all of Ten’s messes being the only other assassin. Maybe one day, Taeyong wouldn’t have to bother his best friend so much.

He knocked on the door and was met with an answer surprisingly quick. Jaehyun had a forced smile plastered to his face as he gestured for the older man to walk in. 

“Taeyong! I’m so glad you’re here.” He said with a faker chipper tone, sarcasm laced in the words.

Taeyong could hear metal clatter to the floor and he rounded the corner, frustration washing over him when he saw Ten perched in an armchair in the living room. His eyes were wide with fear seeing his boss in the apartment

“I really should go.” Jaehyun’s girlfriend stood up, gathering her stuff before trying to make her way out of the room. She was a very beautiful woman and an idea came to Taeyong that he knew he would regret suggesting. Right now, it seemed like the best plan of action and he acted on impulse.

“I would really like it if you stayed, ___.” Taeyong reached out, stopping her from leaving the room.

“Someone wanna tell me what’s happening?” Jaehyun interrupted, brows furrowed as he looked between the two guests in his home.

Taeyong moved farther into the apartment, draping his suit jacket across a barstool before pulling it out and turning it around to sit in it. “Ten failed his mission and almost exposed the company in the process.”

“Now, don’t you think that’s a little dramatic. It wasn’t my fault he doesn’t play for my team.” Ten pouted. Taeyong really didn’t have the energy to have this conversation with him again. It was the same dance, different song and as far as Taeyong was concerned, it was very overdone.

“Seduction is a weak tactic and I told you that. If you can’t complete a task without getting into their pants, you’re shit and I might as well replace you.” Taeyong reminded him. The threat from the office obviously didn’t mean much with the way he was responding now.

“I can do it other ways and I have before, but I was severely misled this time. Taeil told me he had seen him at the club. Why would you go there if you weren’t gay?”

Taeyong sighed. No one in the world had enough patience to deal with this man. “I have female strip clubs, too.”

“I know that now.” Ten threw his hands up in exasperation.

“Save the dramatics, Ten. You knew it before.” Jaehyun stepped in for Taeyong and the older man was grateful. 

“Yeah, well, I forgot okay?”

“It doesn’t matter. You fucked up.” Taeyong turned his attention to where Jaehyun was standing next to his girlfriend protectively. Taeyong’s plan was not going to be received well. “Jaehyun, I need you to take over this assignment.”

“Okay. Can ___ go now, then?” Jaehyun gestured to the girl at his side, waiting impatiently for an answer.

“Actually, no.” Taeyong shook his head before hesitantly looking up at the couple in front of him. He had to find the strength to say what he needed to. “Like Ten said, he frequents our clubs.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Jaehyun sighed deeply. The tension in the room was growing by the second. There was no was Jaehyun wasn’t aware of the implications of the statement

“I think we could use her.”

Jaehyun’s girlfriend’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the two men. She was caught in the middle, forced to go against her boyfriend or step up to the plate and help him.

“No. Fuck no,” Jaehyun laughed but there was no humor in it. Taeyong’s gut twisted at the sound before Jaehyun continued his verbal assault. “You just fucking said seduction is a weak tactic and now you wanna throw her in with no experience?”

“It’s a weak tactic for experienced assassins,” Taeyong clarified. “Ten shouldn’t still be crossing his fingers and hoping they’re gay while he gives a fatal lap dance.”

“I’ve killed just as many people as Jaehyun.” Ten defended himself, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. 

“Yeah, and you make a ten times bigger mess. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t replaced you yet.” Taeyong shot back. Ten really hadn’t killed anywhere close to the amount Jaehyun had, but that wasn’t an argument that needed to be had with the present situation.

“Because then you know you’d have to kill me.” Ten smirked, knowing he was reading Taeyong in front of everyone. “Doesn’t matter how many people you have us kill, you can’t bear thinking about being the one to do it yourself.”

Taeyong scowled at him, not wanting to encourage his childish behavior. This conversation ended here and now. “You have a sharp mouth for someone who’s expendable.”

Ten looked as if he wanted to continue his argument but after seeing the growing fire in Taeyong’s eyes, his mouth snapped shut.

Taeyong’s attention was drawn back to the woman that Jaehyun now had his arm wrapped around defensively. She was the one he needed to talk to. “___, I need an answer from you.”

“She’s not doing it,” Jaehyun answered for her, shaking his head defiantly.

“What the fuck has gotten into you two that you think you get a say?” Taeyong didn’t know what made him snap so aggressively. If it weren’t for Ten poking and prodding at him, he would have never spoken to Jaehyun that way. He respected him too much for that. He opened his mouth to apologize to his best friend before the thorn in his side decided to speak.

“I’ll do it.” Her voice was so quiet, probably hoping Taeyong wouldn’t hear the agreement.

Unfortunately for her, Taeyong heard the few words and took them to heart

“Thank you. I need you to come to my office when you get out of work on Friday night. Jaehyun, you need to come to. This will be a partner assignment.” Taeyong turned and left the apartment, leaving silent employees behind him.

He didn’t feel good doing that. Taeyong was never one to demand respect in such primal fashion. Yelling and raising his voice were the last things he was prone to do, yet he did it so freely in there knowing that Jaehyun had a right to be angry. Taeyong promised his best friend that he wouldn’t spring stuff on him. That woman meant something to him and now Taeyong was getting her wrapped up in this world again. As if getting Jaehyun involved wasn’t enough, Taeyong seemed set on just absolutely ruining his life and taking everything good from him. 

He was embarrassed by his actions for the entire week. Jaehyun somehow made his way into his office to talk things over. Things were smoothed out once again, but Taeyong couldn’t guarantee this peace for that much longer. Jaehyun was genuinely hurt by Taeyong’s decision to use his girlfriend as a pawn. Taeyong could see how it hurt. It took hours of talking back and forth to get to the point when Jaehyun could even look at the older boy. 

“You can pull her at any time. I shouldn’t have even offered.” Taeyong spoke. Jaehyun seemed to appreciate it. Even though Taeyong didn’t make the best choices, he was still able to admit when he was wrong. He wasn’t above apologizing and he hoped he would never be.

“She won’t like if I speak for her.” Jaehyun laughed weakly as he shook his head. “Unless she tells me she can’t do it, she’ll have my ass for stepping in and speaking for her.”

On Wednesday, something must have changed. Taeyong got a call saying that Jaehyun would be pulling his girlfriend from the assignment. He almost felt relieved by the whole thing. He would have to come up with a new plan with Doyoung, but at least he didn’t have to worry about the stress that would come with sending a nonemployee out on an assignment. Her only allegiance was to Jaehyun, something that could be easily faked.

Taeyong and Jaehyun had an incredible day on Thursday, sliding back into things like normal now that only Jaehyun was on the mission. It reminded him of the fact that just because someone was there and a resource was available doesn’t mean you should use it.

On Friday as Taeyong looked at his club’s blueprints, Jaehyun’s girlfriend walked in the door without even a knock or any sort of a greeting. Her eyes were determined and her mouth was set into a grim line. Something was wrong.

“Why are you here?” Taeyong asked, leaning back in his chair as he studied her reaction. He tried not to let his fear be obvious. What would Jaehyun do when he walked in and saw the girl he loved in the office getting ready for an assignment?

She took a small breath, maintaining eye contact the entire time. “I didn’t want Jaehyun to lose someone important to him just to protect me.”

“You do know why he doesn’t want you going, don’t you?” The plan was to seduce the leader of the Korean sex trade in order to get him alone allowing Jaehyun to assassinate him.

“Yes, but there’s no point in him putting everything on the line when I know he won’t let anything happen to me.” She was so confident in Jaehyun and his abilities. More than that, she trusted him with her life. If this was real and she genuinely was doing this for Jaehyun with no ulterior motives, she would have Taeyong’s respect.

It didn’t erase the fear in him though. He saw the way Jaehyun looked the morning after she found out about his real job. Taeyong sat with Jaehyun as he unpacked all his fears and insecurities about his relationship. Jaehyun flat out told him that the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with was her and here she was risking her life and wellbeing all for him. He knew what it was like to sacrifice everything for someone you loved. He had done it his whole life for Mark. He couldn’t see how this situation was any different from the one he was in. 

“I hope for your and Jaehyun’s sake that you’re right.” He opened his desk drawer, placing a gun and a knife on the sleek desktop. “You are infinitely more important to him than I ever was.”

It hurt to say out loud but it was the truth. The best friends each had only one other person they loved in this world more than each other. Taeyong had Mark and Jaehyun had the girl that sat in the lonely office on the top floor of Lee Enterprises.

She was quiet for so long, seemingly mulling over his words. Jaehyun had to have told her about their friendship. There was no other way to explain Jaehyun’s constant forgiveness and tolerance of the older man’s mistakes.

“Why do you treat Jaehyun the way you do?” She asked, words bold and brash. The question felt like tiny daggers piercing through his chest.

He raised his brows at her, surprised by the forwardness of it all. “I don’t exactly have a choice. I don’t want to use him as a weapon and I certainly don’t want to make him risk the only thing he’s ever cared about.”

Jaehyun’s deep involvement in the company was something that Taeyong had wanted to avoid. He was supposed to be a bodyguard and that was it. Never had Taeyong imagined that his best friend would have the power and knowledge that he has now.

“You probably have more of a choice than you realize. Look at where you’re sitting, the title beside your name.” She gestured to the desk, pointing out the nameplate and the business cards. She then looked behind him, taking in the skyline from the tall building’s view. From the outside looking in, Taeyong appeared to be untouchable. He was in control of the public world as well as the underground. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t the case. There was more than could ever be seen by someone like her with a view shaped by the media she worked for so willingly.

“The people I control are not small, petty gangs that listen when they’re told. Most of these groups are bigger than we will ever give them credit for. I am not as powerful as anyone likes to think I am. If I was, we wouldn’t have the problems we do, would we?”

She opened her mouth to answer until the glass door swung open. Jaehyun’s eyes were ablaze with fury and confusion as he made his way deeper into the office.

“Jaehyun, just in time. I was just about to tell ___ how the room setup works.” Taeyong spoke, unrolling the blueprint and shooting him a pleading look. Jaehyun’s eyes reflected hurt and betrayal.

His eyes then shifted to his girlfriend and where she sat in the sleek, low back, black chair. “What are you doing here?”

Taeyong was caught between letting her take the hit for her choice and defending her. She came here just to help him and protect him from any falling out that may come from his choice to pull her from the assignment. He settled for sticking up for her. “She’s here because she told me she would do this and she’s following through. I appreciate that her word means something.”

“I told you she wasn’t doing this.” Jaehyun’s voice was steadily rising with every word as he directed his angle at Taeyong instead of his girlfriend.

“I didn’t call her. She came here on her own accord.” There was only so much he could do for the girl. He wanted Jaehyun to be happy, but he wasn’t willing to risk his friendship again just because Jaehyun loves her. He would forgive her just like he never failed to forgive Taeyong.

Jaehyun’s gaze found his girlfriend once more. The fire burning behind his eyes even brighter now that he knew she went behind his back. “Why? Why would you do that when I put my ass on the line so you could stay out of this?”

“That’s exactly why I did it. You shouldn’t be risking everything for me.” She stated simply. Taeyong had shared that feeling before. When Jaehyun became his bodyguard and Taeyong learned about his sacrifices, he knew he needed to do something for him for once.

“You don’t get it, do you? You  _ are  _ everything to me. I don’t care what happens to me here, or anywhere for that matter, as long as I have you.” Jaehyun rubbed his forehead before sitting down next to her. He reached over, grabbing the gun and knife. He moved to hand her the knife as he placed the gun into the holster on his hip.

Taeyong stopped him, wanting to curl into himself as he delivered the news. “Actually, Jaehyun. I need you to put the knife in an agreed-upon spot. She won’t have a place to carry it on her.”

“So, you want her to go in completely unarmed?” Jaehyun stared at his boss blankly, unable to believe what he had just heard.

“She won’t be unarmed,” Taeyong tried to reassure him. “She’ll know where the knife is if she needs it.”

“How do you expect her to  _ get to it _ if she needs it?” He asked, eyes narrowing.

“She just needs to get far enough away from him for you to do your job. Let me explain how this is going to work.” Taeyong waited a beat for Jaehyun to interrupt. When he stayed silent, Taeyong continued. He turned the blueprint of the club around, allowing the couple to take a look at the layout. Taeyong pointed to the room that Jaehyun would be waiting for his girlfriend in. He explained that certain accommodations that had been made to allow for Jaehyun to be in the room with her. After filling the two of them in on the logistics, he pulled out a bag and pushed it towards you over the desktop.

He nodded towards the woman sat in front of him. “Your uniform.”

She took a small look into the bag and her eyes widened at the material in the bag before she looked back up at the CEO.

“You’re going to wanna put that on here since you are going through the back exit. Doyoung’s my eyes for tonight and he’s going to help you with who to look for. Just find him when you get there.” He looked at Jaehyun who had his head hung low, busy focusing on something in his lap and probably playing with his fingers. “___, will you give me a second to talk to Jaehyun alone?”

The girl nodded, grabbing her bag and standing up to make her way to the bathroom. As soon as the door swung shut, Jaehyun spoke.

“So she came here on her own?”

Taeyong affirmed the question, giving a simple yes.

“Why didn’t you tell her no?” The betrayed look in his eyes hadn’t left. Even though she chose this, Jaehyun was still blaming Taeyong.

“She’s your girlfriend. You should know how she is. She didn’t look like she was going to accept no for an answer. Plus, her reasoning for doing it is admirable.” It was the one reason Taeyong didn’t say no. If she really wanted to do this for Jaehyun, then she could and prove her loyalty to him while she was at it.

“I don’t give a shit if her reasoning was admirable. You’re in a position where you can tell her no and you should have. You know how much I love her. We both said that her not going would work out for the better, but now she strolls in and you just let her do this?”

“Jaehyun, this will be the quickest way to get everything done.”

“I don’t give a fuck. You would never allow a girl you were dating to do this, but since it’s  _ my  _ girlfriend, it’s fine.”

“That’s not the truth, Jaehyun. It’s not fine.” Nothing about this situation was fine. Anything involving Jaehyun’s girlfriend left a bitter taste in Taeyong’s mouth because of all the wrong choices he made regarding her.

“Then tell me I’m wrong,” Jaehyun snapped at him. “Tell me you would be okay sending your girlfriend out to kill the leader of a sex trade.”

“I wouldn’t be.”

“Exactly. You could have said no. For me and for you and for this friendship, but instead, you both went behind my back.” Jaehyun said, shaking his head as he stood up and made his way out the door.

Taeyong sat in the chair, spinning around to stare at the skyline. Jaehyun’s girlfriend seemed to be under the impression that this city was his. If it was, that would make this a whole lot easier. He wouldn’t have to worry about underhanded deals or sending people in undercover. If he could anonymously tip the cops off to every little thing, he would. The only problem was that now it had gotten to the point where he didn’t trust anyone to do the job except for a few of his employees. Even if he had the police as a resource, he probably wouldn’t use them. He was selfish and stubborn down to the bone and surely his best friend was starting to see that.

When he heard the elevator ding and signal its arrival, Taeyong turned back around, packing up all his stuff. He couldn’t go home, it would allow his dark thoughts to consume his brain. He only had one other place to go.

Mark’s apartment was as large as Taeyong’s but it somehow felt more like a home. The interior was modern and sleek but the furniture was covered in fluffy pillows and warm blankets. Minseo had helped decorate and it was clear that she was what made this place feel put together. Mark had no eye for interior design. One look at his college apartment was enough to know that.

On the living room wall was the painting that Taeyong made in a rage fit. He was so consumed by his anger that he took his brush and started swiping across the canvas. When Mark walked in on him screaming and dumping paint, he stopped him, pulling him into a hug and taking the time to calm him down. When the younger later asked if he could have the painting, Taeyong didn’t understand.

“That was the first night you were ever honest with me about the way you felt. I know it was hard for you and it hurt me to watch, but it was a big step for us as brothers,” Mark explained. “Plus, the painting is dope so I want it.”

Seeing it hung up in his home years later made Taeyong’s chest constrict. He may no longer have Jaehyun but he and Mark were blood. Nothing was happening to the two of them because Taeyong wouldn’t let it. He was convinced that not even death could come between them with how much they were forced to rely on each other since their father’s passing.

Minseo greeted him first, walking to the kitchen to make him some tea. She really was an incredible person and Taeyong was glad Mark had someone like her. The two had gotten extremely close since his father’s death. He knew that at any point in time, something could happen to him and he didn’t want to die not knowing the person that loves Mark as much as he did. They would frequently get lunch together if their breaks overlapped. Taeyong would help her pick out gifts for any special occasion, not that she needed any help but it was nice to feel like he was doing something. Once Taeyong opened his heart to her, there was no going back. Their personalities complimented each other’s so well platonically that he saw Minseo more as his own friend instead of just Mark’s girlfriend. She was the sister he never had and he was genuinely excited for his brother to spend his future with a woman like her.

She sat and talked with him for a few moments, smiling every now and then and thanking him for visiting. They sipped on their tea while Minseo asked him questions about his employment rates since her current company was taking a major hit.

His younger brother followed closely after his girlfriend, eyes bright at the sight of his brother. Taeyong spent the night talking with them and avoiding the negative headspace he was so close to slipping into. They laughed as Minseo told jokes and outrageous stories from her own office space. She even managed to embarrass Mark by talking about one of their failed attempts at a date when they first started seeing each other. Mark smiled at her the whole time and Taeyong knew that part of it was because of the side of the company he ran. Taeyong’s sacrifice made this possible.

When Taeyong received the simple confirmation text from Doyoung confirming the completion of tonight’s assignment, he couldn’t hold back anymore. Minseo had long since gone to bed and Taeyong didn’t mind telling Mark the situation.

“Why did you do it?” There was no judgment in Mark’s voice, he was just simply seeking understanding.

“Looking back, I don’t even know.” It was a weird thing to admit. There weren’t many times when Taeyong looked back on his decisions and didn’t know what his reasoning was. This was a horrible thing to not have reasoning for.

“I don’t think he’ll stay mad at you forever.”

“I let her out of the whole thing, Mark. Why did she come back and do it anyway?” She was a pain in his ass to the highest degree. Taeyong got to be the good guy for a whole 48 hours. He let her get out of an assignment no one wanted her to do just for her to crawl back in and say she would do it.

“Probably to prove herself to you. I mean she said it was for Jaehyun and all, but she probably knows that a big part of their relationship could be having your approval.”

“I think you’re giving her too much credit.”

“I think you’re too hard on her,” Mark sighed, leaning forward to rest his arms on the bar. “Jaehyun loves her. You should at least try to get to know her and drop this tough guy act. Would she have thrown herself into direct danger if she didn’t love Jaehyun?”

“I guess not,” Taeyong admitted reluctantly.

“Do this for Jae and do it for yourself. Stop harboring distrust for someone who doesn’t deserve it.” Mark’s eyes searched Taeyong’s face in order to gauge his reaction. The younger was never a fan of overstepping.

“When did you get so wise?” Taeyong asked, dragging his finger around the rim of his empty mug.

“I’ve always been wise, I just used to stutter out advice. I learned how to talk and stuff when dad died.”

“And stuff,” Taeyong teased.

“That’s what I said.” Mark put his hands up defensively before getting off his barstool. “I’m gonna go to bed because I have a brunch with a few VPs tomorrow, but I want you to talk to Jaehyun again as soon as you can. Don’t give up on him because you think he’s given up on you.”

Monday was hard. He spent the whole day with Jaehyun trying to sort out everything that had been going wrong between them the past few months. Jaehyun apparently had been harboring a lot of hurt feelings that he chose to push to the side because of his love for Taeyong. He had somehow convinced himself that Taeyong’s feelings were more important than his own.

Taeyong had been so busy that he didn’t even notice his own friend’s distress and unease around him. He really was selfish and cold. Taking this job had absolutely ruined him and he needed to be making more of an effort to find himself again. His hard CEO exterior was making its way into his personal life and it needed to be stopped.

Taeyong took the opportunity weeks later to turn a new leaf. Mark was currently in his office discussing plans for a new club when Jaehyun’s girlfriend knocked on the glass door, offering a weak smile. He waved her in as Mark stood up, inspecting the girl now walking into the room.

“___. I wasn’t expecting you.” Taeyong said after clearing his throat, eyes still wide at the shock of her arrival.

She fiddled with her hands, a nervous tick that Taeyong knew all too well from his best friend. “It was an unexpected visit.”

“I see.” He nodded before gesturing to the man next to him. “This is my brother, Mark. He’s in charge of the more conventional side of things.”

Mark was much better at being welcoming. He smiled at her and extended his hand, eyes bright as he connected the dots. Jaehyun didn’t bring her to any company functions for fear of her getting hurt in some way. He saw the risks of letting the underground know he had a girlfriend. This was Mark’s first time meeting the girl that stole one of his best friend’s hearts.

“I take it your Jaehyun’s girlfriend?” He asked excitedly.

“I hope you don’t mind I told him,” Taeyong added quickly. He didn’t quite know what her comfort levels were with his company and he didn’t want to overstep in any way.

“No, not at all.” She reassured him before turning back to Mark. “I am. Almost a year now.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you.” He gave her another small smile before turning to his brother. “Would you like me to come back later?”

“That would be great. Thank you.” Taeyong nodded, dismissing him. He had a feeling that she didn’t come to talk to both of them.

Once the door shut behind Mark, Taeyong looked at the girl in front of him. She was a bundle of nerves, a cord strung too tight. He worked to break the tension by being open about himself first. “He’s the reason I do what I do.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, brows furrowed as she sought out an explanation for the vague statement.

“It was either him or me for this job and I knew whoever did it would be risking their lives. He’s all I have left so I said I would do it to keep him out of it.” The honesty was hard to do but Taeyong kept reminding himself that this was a step he had to take to get back to the person he was when Jaehyun looked up to him. 

“Why couldn’t someone else do it? Surely you weren’t the only qualified one.” Such simple naivety. Taeyong almost admired it.

“Our father didn’t trust anyone outside of our family. It took months to convince him to let Jaehyun be my guard and he was basically like family at that point.” He began cleaning the papers from his desk mindlessly. It was just something to do while he poured his heart out. “But, you’re not here to talk about me.”

“No, I guess I’m not.” She confirmed. 

“So.” Taeyong waited.

“I, um.” She stared down at her hands, watching her fingers entangle themselves. “I guess I’m just not handling this as well as I thought I would.”

“I don’t know how someone is supposed to handle finding out their boyfriend is an assassin, so I’d say you’re doing well.” He knows that if he were in her position, he would have ran and not looked back. It’s what he wanted to do when his father filled him in on what the company actually did.

“Except I’m not,” she admitted quietly, still not looking up at him.

“How so?” Taeyong tried to mask his fear but he wasn’t sure he was doing a good job of it. If she left this office today, choosing to leave Jaehyun, she would be put on a watchlist. The second she said something she shouldn’t, she would have to be killed and Jaehyun would never forgive him.

“I feel like at every turn I keep fucking up and hurting Jaehyun. I keep having these nightmares and I know it upsets him when I wake up and throw up because of the things I saw.” She stopped herself, worrying her lower lip as she forced herself to look up.

It wasn’t at all what Taeyong was expecting. Maybe she and him were more similar than he originally thought. They both felt like all they did to Jaehyun was take while failing to give anything in return.

“From what I’ve seen, all the things I think you’re referring to as your fuck-ups have all been to protect him. The nightmares are expected. He had them, too. He lived with me for years because he was scared of being alone at night.” He remembered the nights Jaehyun would come into his room, feet padding along the floor and reminding him of a scared toddler. He seemed so small back then compared to the man he had grown into.

She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t know if he sees it that way… Plus, the fact that he’s had nightmares almost makes it worse. I think because he knows just how miserable they are and he just has to watch me go through it when he can’t fix anything.”

“Are you thinking about leaving him?” It was the one thing Taeyong needed to know.

Her eyes widened with shock at the suggestion and Taeyong allowed himself to take comfort from it. She padded at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket before continuing. “Maybe it’s selfish, but that’s the last thing I would want to do. I just don’t know if I’m hurting him so much that this isn’t good for him anymore.”

He leaned back in his chair, taking in the sight of this woman in front of him. “You really love him, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

He waited for a second before looking at her. He couldn’t stop the confession as it tumbled out of his mouth. “Jaehyun is the most important person in my life besides Mark and I have never once thought about how my actions affected him. I know I’m a piece of shit and I won’t try and act like I’m not. It honestly wasn’t until my decisions started affecting you that I started to realize just how much I was hurting him. How much I had been hurting him since he started working for me.”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.” 

“I’m saying your conscious of the fact that you can hurt him and the possibility of doing so upsets you. I have seen him lose his temper a total of three times. Once was when I told him I would be accepting this position. The other two were concerning you. You don’t hurt him near as much as you think you do. I think your independence terrifies him.” She was a better person than Taeyong was and so he chose to support this. All of this. If she was able to come to him and seek help when they definitely had a troubled history, she deserved Jaehyun.

“I don’t want to make him feel anything negative.” She admitted. He wished things were that simple for her and for himself.

Taeyong shook his head before leaning forward on his desk. “With the position Jaehyun is in, that’s not possible. Also, don’t set that expectation for yourself. You will single-handedly ruin your relationship with your own invalid insecurities. Jaehyun is terrified because he finally has something to come home to and he doesn’t ever want to lose it.”

She sat for a moment, mulling the words over. Taeyong didn’t speak again, wanting to give her the time she needed. He was here to support her and nothing else. 

“You know, you’re not all bad.” She said quietly, offering him a small smile.

“Maybe you can remind Jaehyun of that. I’m the one who has a fuck-up list a mile long.” Taeyong laughed lightly but the joke was more somber than anything.

“He doesn’t know I’m here.” She hinted quietly. She had snuck off to seek help on her own.

“I figured such seeing as you came in on his day off. I won’t tell him.” He acknowledged her implied request, nodding gently.

“Thank you.” She stood up to make her way out of the office and for some reason, Taeyong felt the need to stop her.

“___?”

She turned back to face him.

“Don’t give up on this. No matter what happens, talk to him. My door is always open, but I think Jaehyun may be able to comfort you better than someone you don’t really care for.” Taeyong was glad she wanted to fix her relationship, but he was still confused as to why she came to him. Regardless, he would do his best to be supportive of her as long as she stayed by Jaehyun’s side.

“I-”

He interrupted her. “It’s okay to not like me. I wouldn’t like me either.” 

Offering a small smile as a farewell, he picked up the phone to dial Mark. Might as well finish what they were working on. She took the hint to leave, turning and walking out the door.

When Mark made his way back into Taeyong’s office, he smiled. “She seems sweet.”

“She honestly is wonderful. I feel like shit for trying to make her into a bad person this whole time.”

“Do you want to change the subject?” Mark asked. He could probably feel Taeyong’s unease.   
Taeyong nodded, spreading out all the documents from earlier. “Yeah. Let’s just work on this club plan.”

“Actually, before we get into that, I have something I want to tell you.”

Taeyong looked up at him, eyebrows raised. 

Mark’s smile was bigger than ever as he spoke. “I’m proposing to Minseo this weekend.”

Warmth bloomed through Taeyong’s chest as he walked around his desk to pull him into a hug. 

“Shut the fuck up. I’m so excited for you.” He leaned back, grabbing Mark’s shoulders as he looked him in the eye. He had grown so much so fast and Minseo had been by his side through all of it. Taeyong had grown to care for her like a sister and his initial worry had faded into acceptance and joy. If there was anyone that was absolutely perfect for Mark, it would be his soon-to-be fiance. 

“Thanks. I really- Your approval means the world to me.”

That weekend, Mark proposed to Minseo. Taeyong got the pleasure of hearing all about it come Monday morning. His brother showed him pictures of the ring and their date all while smiling so big, his cheeks might as well have cracked. Minseo had apparently already started planning the wedding. They wanted a short engagement since they had been together for so long. There was no point in wasting time. Everyone they loved was in town so they wouldn’t have to worry about flying anyone out. In as little as three months they would be married. It all seemed like a dream and Taeyong didn’t want to wake up. He was getting to share such pure, unadulterated bliss with his only family and that feeling was incomparable.

Unfortunately, the time of peace couldn’t last forever. Jaehyun ran into his office just a week later, demanding Taeyong to turn on the news. The group that Lee Enterprises had been trying to control had been busted by the police. There stood Jaehyun’s girlfriend, giving the details on the recent bust. An anonymous tip had sent the police to the gang’s current location. Jaehyun watched on with panic before turning to Taeyong. 

“Did you do this?”

“No. I thought we were going to wait. Aren’t all the ring leaders gone right now?” Taeyong dug through his cabinet to find the file on the gang. Doyoung had done a good job of keeping up with their movements, taking notes of every major player in the company and what their location was, if possible. Right now, there were about 15 key members and all were out of the city if not out of the country.

Jaehyun nodded slowly. “Someone snitched to tip them off.” 

Taeyong’s heart fell to his stomach. He had a leak inside his own company and didn’t even know it. He spent so much time making sure he hired people he trusted but a single person slipped through the cracks. It was possible that someone else reported on the gang but Taeyong highly doubted it considering Doyoung had a hard enough time keeping up with their activity and he had resources most people didn’t.

“Can we go to your place? I don’t want to stay in this office.”

“Yeah. I’ll let Doyoung know where we’re at. He’s trying to figure out who all got arrested.”

Most of the afternoon was spent going over what happened that day. It was important to know who was in custody and who was left. Taeyong also needed to know the amount of product that was lost. The group had just recently moved to this new location, meaning that they probably barely lost anything. If they were going to get busted, now was the perfect time for it.

Taeyong rested his head in his hands as he sat on Jaehyun’s couch, a half glass of whiskey sitting on the table in front of him. Countless files covered the table and the floor and Jaehyun was doing his best to work through them all. Personally, Taeyong didn’t have the energy. He was spent, mentally and emotionally, and too busy battling his inner demons to pay any mind to the statistics in front of him. The word failure echoed around his head followed by incompetent and blind. How long had this person been sneaking the group information. Did they warn them before every arson that Sicheng was sent to do?

The door opened and a woman’s voice echoed through the hallway before Jaehyun’s girlfriend rounded the corner and saw Taeyong on the couch. 

Taeyong smiled at her softly. “Sorry for intruding. If you’re ready to go to bed, I’ll make a point to be quiet.”

“No. It’s okay. I assume it was a long day at the office?” She asked, putting her stuff down and making her way further into the living room.

“It was indeed.” He took a sip of the dark liquor before putting the glass back on the table. “You wouldn’t have happened to give the police an anonymous tip about the group’s whereabouts would you?”

It was a stupid question. There was no way she had gotten involved, but Taeyong needed that security.

She shook her head before moving to sit down on the couch next to her boyfriend. “I didn’t even know where they were. Jaehyun keeps me on a need-to-know basis.”

“I figured so.” Taeyong mused.

Jaehyun loosened his tie before unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. He had to be just as exhausted as Taeyong but he did a better job at hiding it. “We had to move the meeting here. Doyoung will be here soon. I tried to call you to tell you but you were still on site.”

“No, it’s okay, really. Is everything alright?” She asked, reaching out to rub his back, eyes filled with concern.

“We think there may be someone leaking information from inside the company,” Jaehyun answered, sighing at the end of his statement. This wasn’t easy for him. He trusted everyone in that office even more than Taeyong did.

She didn’t seem to understand how that was a possibility. “What? Why?”

“The men arrested today were pretty low on the hierarchy. Everyone who’s anyone important is currently in other countries trying to spread their product.” Taeyong dragged his finger around the edge of his glass. His words were slow as if he would be able to find the missing piece he needed while explaining the situation to the girl in front of him. Of course, he didn’t have that type of luck seeing as his mind was still drawing blanks.

Jaehyun continued when his boss appeared to be finished. “Someone gave the police the tip in order to warn the higher-ups that we were onto them without anyone actually important getting caught. There was no better time for this.”

“So, what? Those men were just collateral?”

“Basically,” Taeyong confirmed. “Each and every one of those men were replaceable. We’ve been keeping an eye on all of our main targets and none of their names were in the report.”

“So, how many are left?” The woman asked, carefully glancing at the pages spread haphazardly on the table.

“I would say around forty.” Taeyong took a folder from beside him before dropping it in front of him. It was the packet of everyone who hadn’t been arrested.

Jaehyun pressed a kiss to the woman’s temple before he stood up to answer the door when a knock sounded through the quiet apartment. His girlfriend stood up just seconds after, moving to go to the master bedroom

Taeyong gave a small smile at the interaction before gesturing for the woman to sit back down. “You’ll be able to hear everything anyway.”

She shook her head. “It may be better if I just go to bed. I would feel weird sitting in on such an exclusive meeting.”

“It isn’t necessarily exclusive and more so the only people I’ve been able to trust haven’t done it. This group will get larger as time goes on. Considering you met a few of my employees, it may actually be beneficial for you to stay. I want you to be aware of potential threats since they may use you in ways that I would prefer to not have to worry about.” Taeyong could really use the information she had received straight from the police. She was a valuable asset right now.

At that moment, Doyoung strolled into the living room, jacket slung over his shoulder with his sleeves rolled up. One hand rested in his pocket as he surveyed his surroundings. “___. I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances, but it’s nice to see you again all the same. You did an excellent job that night and I’ve witnessed a lot of assassination plans.” 

Taeyong had forgotten that they met that night at the club when he gave you an assignment you should have never received. He swallowed the bile that threatened to come up his throat at the thought of it and tried his best to focus on the matter at hand instead.

“Nice to see you again, Doyoung.” She nodded towards him, giving him a polite smile.

Doyoung moved to sit next to Taeyong while Jaehyun took his regular spot next to his girlfriend.

“Are you staying for the meeting?” Jaehyun asked cautiously.

“Taeyong thought it would be best if I knew the potential threats since a few people in the office know me by now.”

Jaehyun nodded, picking up on the implication.

Taeyong sighed. “This whole situation is frustrating considering I can’t even use my own PI anymore. I’m going to have to bring in someone new.”

“You don’t really think whoever it was would have known Doyoung was following the case, do you?” Jaehyun interjected.

The CEO let out a small chuckle at the comment. “It would be stupid of them not to. Everyone in the office knows he’s my eyes and ears for my most important cases.”

“They never seemed to notice me before,” Doyoung defended himself, “but that’s kind of the point of my job. After this tip, they’ll be way more aware of their surroundings. I don’t think it would be wise to have any single PI on the case. You’re gonna need a team you can rotate.”

“I don’t trust enough people in this world to have a rotation. Look at how many people are in this room right now.” Taeyong gestured around him. “No one even knows we’re here, that’s how little trust I have right now.”

“What if you send Jaehyun to do it instead?” His girlfriend suggested. It was odd to hear her offer up the one she loved, but at the same time, Taeyong understood her train of thought.

Taeyong rubbed his forehead. He was starting to feel his stress in every muscle. “The chances of them knowing him are just as likely. He killed the guy who came up with how to make the shit they’re selling. Right now, I have no way of keeping track of this group without endangering one of you or endangering the company as a whole.”

“We’re going to have to find our leak first.” Doyoung acknowledged. “We won’t be able to do anything without fear of them finding out unless we eliminate the inside threat.”

“Who are your main suspicions right now?” Jaehyun asked.

“Honestly?” Taeyong flipped through the file of employees before dropping it on the table with the other file. “Sicheng, Yuta, Johnny, and Ten. Possibly Taeil.”

“So half the floor.” Jaehyun already looked exhausted and the possible deep digging they would have to do on half the floor just seemed like more work.

“Yes,” Taeyong confirmed, looking at the man across from him

“What about the other half? Why aren’t they here?” Jaehyun’s girlfriend asked.

Taeyong answered, entertaining her question. He didn’t know what good her interjection would do but if she felt like participating then maybe she could give a fresh look at everything. “They don’t know enough about the case to be suspects and that’s because I don’t trust them enough, to begin with. It would be too risky to bring them in now.”

“I think we could trust Jungwoo,” Doyoung suggested.

“Why would we need to?” Taeyong asked. All Jungwoo did was clean up bodies and go. He didn’t know anything except that people were dead.

“He’s in charge of covering up all of our assignments. Maybe he’s noticed something with the cleanup crew.”

“Doubt it.” Taeyong huffed signaling the end of that conversation.

“What ties might everyone have then?” Doyoung asked.

“Ten’s an easy out,” Jaehyun said. “That man can’t keep his mouth shut to save his life. I know every step of all his plans and could write a biography over his target by the time he’s finished with an assignment.”

“I don’t trust him,” Taeyong said. Not only was he useless, something about the assassin was off. He was too slick, too cunning, yet somehow he lost over half his targets to failed assignments. 

Jaehyun shook his head. “If that’s your only reasoning, I’m not wasting my time digging on him. He’s not smart enough to be a leak and not expose himself. He got himself caught on an assignment we all knew about. All he had to do was hide from the target and he failed. There’s no way he could keep something like this hidden. He’s off my radar. Who’s next?”

Taeyong cleared his throat before starting. “Taeil runs and assists in all my clubs. He’s bound to come across one of these men since Doyoung did report that over half of them attend my club in Apgujeong. He would have had plenty of time to form some sort of connection with the men since Taeil prides himself on revisitors.”

“That makes sense, but Taeil is at a different club every week. With that logic, he would only be at the club in Apgujeong every month and a half to two months.” Doyoung interjected.

“He’s the one I’m least worried about, but any exposure to them is exposure,” Taeyong explained. It only took one interaction to get someone to switch sides. Who knew when or if that ever happened and Taeil had just kept his head low.

Jaehyun picked up the folder with each of the suspects and began flipping through it. “Yuta seems unlikely as well. We take inventory of the weaponry once a week and he has to report each of his sales to you with the information on who he sold to. He only makes black market trips once a month and has never once sold to one of the higher-ups that we’ve been watching. There’s no other contact he would have had as an arms dealer.”

“So who are we left with?” Doyoung questioned. “Sicheng and Johnny?”

“Both are equally possible.” Taeyong sighed. The other three were suspects just to cover all bases. Now that they had gotten them out, Taeyong was left with the two he really suspected.

“I wouldn’t say Johnny is equally possible.” Doyoung shook his head. “What’s your reasoning? He deals drugs?”

“That’s exactly why,” Taeyong said. This group specialized in drugs. Who’s to say Johnny didn’t somehow get wrapped up in all of it.

“He has a steady flow of cash coming from you. Why would he get wrapped up in something so messy for a few extra dollars?” Jaehyun asked, brows knitting together. 

Doyoung added on. “Plus, the group would be seen as competition. If he was really working with them, his sales of your products would be taking a hit.”

Taeyong reached for Johnny’s profile, flipping to his sales over the past six months.

“If anything, it looks like it’s increased.”

“Exactly. There’s no way it would have increased if he was trying to juggle between two sellers.” Jaehyun noted. “I don’t think we would be doing anything but wasting time trying to pry into him.”

Taeyong wasn’t happy about the easy dismissal of his biggest suspect, but he moved on anyway. “So, Sicheng?”

“The kid’s fucking crazy already. It wouldn’t surprise me.” Doyoung mused. “I’ve never trusted him, personally.”

“He did seem really eager to take on this assignment.” Taeyong reached for his profile, placing Johnny’s back into the manilla folder reluctantly. He still wasn’t sure about the decision to brush him off, but he trusted Jaehyun and Doyoung’s opinion. “He’s been doing arsons for me for years and they were always just jobs. He actually was eager to start this one. He just rushed into it when usually he sits and plans every single one for weeks before he actually makes a move.”

Doyoung picked up the other file on the desk before pulling out a small packet of paper. “It could have been an opportunity for him to warn them so no damage was truly ever done. I mean their business never actually went down after each burning.”

“It could have been because they have multiple locations.” Taeyong defended him.

“They probably do. But that doesn’t change that their productivity wasn’t affected in the slightest.” Doyoung handed him the paper with the group's productivity on it. No attack ever did any real damage.

“My only question is how he would have met them.” Taeyong’s skepticism would not be easily erased. “The rest of them have possible ties. What does Sicheng have besides his enthusiasm and quick work?”

“They have a hundred people under their company. How does anyone get involved with them? It could have been at any time. We don’t really need a surefire tie, do we?” Jaehyun questioned.

“I guess you have a point. Something just still feels missing.” It was his gut feeling. His instincts still sat questioning Johnny.

“Why? All signs are pointing at the fact that he’s our guy.” Jaehyun’s voice was beginning to rise. His girlfriend placed a hand on his back. It somehow made him relax, bring him back down to earth.

“We came to this conclusion in one night. It shouldn’t have been this easy.” Taeyong started packing up all the papers and placing them in his briefcase. He couldn’t look at them anymore.

“Because we actually started looking instead of sitting around and panicking about the leak. There are only so many people in this office who it could be.” Jaehyun defended.

Taeyong turned to Jaehyun’s girlfriend. She was the only neutral party in the room. She had no personal biases and only the information she heard in their discussion. “___, what do you think?”

“Well, whoever it was, they probably weren’t trying very hard to hide considering they already had your trust,” she began. “If they were able to work for both groups at the same time, they probably saw no need to cover up. Plus, what about Sicheng’s situation could he have covered up? Your suspicion is stemming from a job that you gave him.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m still wary,” Taeyong mumbled.

“What do you mean?” She asked, face scrunching in confusion.

“The whole reason we think it’s him is because of an assignment I gave him. Would we have even suspected him without this assignment?”

“Would you have suspected Johnny if he weren’t a drug dealer?” Jaehyun asked.

“I guess I wouldn’t have, no.” Taeyong could see the double standard and began to doubt his suspicions.

“It’s the same situation then. Obviously, this job is going to put all of us in contact with pretty shady people. The entire company is bound to have at least one person that’s greedy enough to side with them.”

Taeyong nodded, opening his mouth to say something before being interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone. He dug around in his pocket before retrieving his phone, a confused look crossing his face.

He did his best to answer politely given the stress he was under. Minseo’s voice could be heard just barely through the receiver. “Taeyong, someone… someone shot Mark. He’s dead.”

Taeyong couldn’t even process what was happening. He just felt his whole body shift into autopilot as his world crumbled around him. He couldn’t even hold the phone to his ear anymore, letting it drop as Minseo continued trying to call out to him. He looked for anything to ground him in a moment where he felt like it was all slipping away. Grabbing his glass, he threw it as hard as he could, watching the glass shatter and dark liquor drip down the wall.

He couldn’t stay still as his hands moved to his hair, gripping at the root before pulling as hard as he could. This wasn’t real. There’s no way this could be real. He would wake up in the morning and call his brother and everything would be okay. Taeyong would still have a reason to live when the light met the horizon once more. He would still get to see Mark smile and hear his laugh while he told a story that didn’t make any sense. He would stand by his side as his fiance walked down the aisle to be married. He would still have Mark. He had to still have Mark.

Doyoung and Jaehyun were trying to calm him down, but he couldn’t hear a word as his thoughts raced with the reality of what happened. He felt his body go numb as he sank to the floor between his best friends.

Jaehyun followed him, grabbing his face and forcing him to look him in the eye. Taeyong knew his gaze was a mix of fury and misery, a flame that shone brightly even in the midst of pouring rain. A storm brewed inside of him as Jaehyun asked for any sort of explanation, gaze practically begging him to confirm his suspicions.

“Mark’s dead. They fucking killed my brother.” He choked out. He could barely even see thanks to the tears that cascaded down his face. 

Jaehyun instantly wrapped his arms around his best friend, pulling him into his chest as sobs raked through the older man’s body. He let Taeyong rest on him completely as he let out screams of pain. How was he supposed to continue on like this when Mark was gone. He was all Taeyong had. 

Jaehyun backed away slightly, just enough to see Taeyong’s face. “I’m going back to being your guard. You can stay here until we get a full security team together. Don’t worry about work. I can do everything from here tomorrow. I will not accept no as an answer.”

Taeyong nodded slowly, barely processing the words as they reached his ears. All he could think was one thing. Mark was dead. Mark was dead. Mark was dead. It sang like a mantra in his mind but he wished with every bone in his body that it wasn’t true.

Doyoung stood and placed a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder, looking at the two on the floor. “If you need anything, let me know. I’ll be back in the morning.”

Doyoung and Jaehyun’s girlfriend both exited the room, leaving the two best friends curled in the middle of the floor. Jaehyun had begun crying too. Mark was just as much family to him as Taeyong was. It wasn’t an easy loss for either of them. Jehyun quickly padded away at his tears though, putting his pain aside to take care of Taeyong. Once again, Jaehyun was making sacrifices for Taeyong while he did nothing in return.

Jaehyun helped him up, leading him to the guest bedroom that he had stayed in a few times. He pulled the sheets down and even began to get into the bed before Taeyong stopped him.

“Go to your room, please. Be with ___. I need… I need to think.”

“If you need anything, please come get me.”

Taeyong didn’t sleep that night. Instead, he sat in the middle of the king-sized bed and stared at the wall. He was in a set of Jaehyun’s pajamas that were just slightly too big, but he tried to find comfort in the fabric. How the hell was he going to do this? It went beyond taking care of the company. How was he going to exist without Mark by his side? When Taeyong was hopeless, Mark was the one to give his life any meaning. They promised to do this together. They said that it would always be the two of them, but Mark was gone.

Taeyong sat like that all night as his thoughts cycled through the same unsettling pictures and images. He should have gone to Mark’s apartment and been with Minseo. Jaehyun had his girlfriend but right now, Minseo and Taeyong didn’t have anyone but each other. He had so many regrets about so many things throughout his entire life. He should have spent more time with Mark. He should have made more of an effort to get to know Minseo right away. 

When the sunlight broke through the small crack in the curtains, Taeyong could barely hold his eyes open. He no longer had any tears to cry and he was exhausted in every way imaginable. He stayed awake for fear of the image that sleep would bring him if he decided to close his eyes.

A knock on the door brought him back to the unwelcoming reality he was living in. “Come in.” His voice was so weak from a night full of crying and screaming.

Jaehyun’s girlfriend opened the door, peeking her head through the small opening before walking in fully. “I know you probably aren’t hungry, but I made you some food.”

“I appreciate it, but I don’t think I can eat right now.” He still didn’t look at her for fear of her seeing the tears that were already building in his eyes again.

She placed the plate of food on the nightstand anyway before turning to leave.

Taeyong reached out to stop her, hand barely gripping onto her wrist. “Do you mind staying? Just for a bit. I think if I’m alone too much longer, I may explode.”

She nodded, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were so soft and gentle as she glanced at his face, concern evident through her features.

“I have no idea what the fuck I’m going to do.” He released his clutch on the bedding to rub at his face. He didn’t really want to be talking to her about all this but it seemed like it was too soon to burden Jaehyun with all of it.

“Taeyong, you don’t always have to know what to do.”

It was the first time he had ever heard that. He felt like he always had to have an answer at every turn. That reassurance was exactly what he needed, but unfortunately, in this situation, it wasn’t true.

“I do. I do have to always know what to do. This entire company is mine now and I’m sitting in bed mourning something I can’t change.” His voice was weak and unsure. No one person should have to carry a weight this heavy, especially not after a loss but here he was about to take on an entire company all by himself.

“You’re mourning your brother,” she reminded him gently. “It’s not just some slip up that can be ignored and moved past. You lost family.”

“I lost my only family,” Taeyong snapped. “My father never gave a shit about us and my mother saw us as some burden that kept her from her social life. He was all I had.”

He took a deep breath. She was just trying to help. There was no reason to get mad at her. He took the time to verbalize his emotions even though it was hard. “Jaehyun became family to me and I fucked everything up just because I was scared of you. I have nothing now. I have no one.” He pulled his legs to his chest and locked himself into a ball, keeping his heart guarded.

“You didn’t fuck everything up. Jaehyun still cares about you. He wanted you to stay here and he’s becoming your guard again. Why would he do that if he didn’t care about you?”

Taeyong laughed, sorrow laying such a heavy contrast to the sound. “Because he’s a good person, ___. It has nothing to do with the state of our relationship. Think about how you met. That man would care for anyone in need.”

She shook her head, reaching out to place a hand on Taeyong’s knee. “You’re hurting right now and you have every right to be. Mark was your brother, and I know it must hurt, but don’t turn away kindness when it’s sincere.”

He finally looked at the girl in front of him, eyes heavy from lack of sleep. “I don’t know who to trust anymore. Out of everyone on that floor, I only feel safe with two people. How am I supposed to lead this entire company when I can’t even lead half. No one wants to work for me.”

“Taeyong, that’s not true. You definitely got the more difficult side of things. You aren’t giving yourself enough credit.”

“I see the way they look at me, ___. I hear the way they talk about me. They’re all so thankful to be under Mark. Hell, I would want to be under Mark too with how much of an asshole I am.”

Jaehyun opened the door, interrupting whatever Taeyong was going to say next. “I didn’t want to intrude because I know you don’t want my pity right now, but I refuse to sit here and listen to you tear yourself down when you have enough on your plate. Taeyong, I’m not doing this because I feel like I have to, I’m doing this because I do not know what I would do if I lost you. I have you and I have ___. That’s it. If you go down, I’m going down with you. That’s the promise I made when I joined this company. That’s the promise I made to you.”

Taeyong looked at Jaehyun, tears steadily flowing at this point. “Jaehyun, how am I supposed to do this alone. I couldn’t even handle the portion I had.”

Jaehyun walked further into the room, sitting down next to Taeyong. “I just said I’m with you. You aren’t doing this alone.”

“I can’t ask that of you.”

“You didn’t ask, I offered.” Jaehyun countered. Jaehyun was a stubborn man. Once his mind was made up, there was nothing changing it.

“What do you want me to do? Promote you to CEO?”

“Unofficially. Let me take on part of your workload but don’t give me the title just yet. We don’t need to give them another target. Once we take them down, you can officially give me the title.”

“That’s a huge risk.” Taeyong countered. He wasn’t about to lose his best friend right after he lost his brother. He wouldn’t be able to handle that pain.

“Anything moving forward at this point is a risk. Don’t make yourself go through this alone. No one needs to know except you, me, and Doyoung.”

Taeyong cracked the smallest smile. “You sure it’s not just for the pay raise?”

“Oh no, that’s definitely the only reason I’m doing it. I’m dirt poor. You don’t pay me enough.” He gestured around the room to emphasize his joke. Jaehyun made more than anyone in the company. He had a base pay and then a bounty for every successful assignment. There was really no need for extra money.

Taeyong let out what could only resemble a laugh in the position he was in. “Fuck. Okay.”

Jaehyun clapped once, rubbing his hands together. “So, are we gonna figure out how to take down these bastards or what?”

It took a few days for Taeyong to even get up the energy to start planning, but at least he kept his mind busy while waiting for the funeral. He didn’t have to sit and think about it at all hours of the day. He was definitely avoiding coping but he just couldn’t afford to sit and think about his loss when there was a threat still out there.

The funeral came sooner that Taeyong would have ever been ready for. His mother put together a beautiful ceremony but everything was so emotionless. Mark deserved more than what his father had, yet the set up was practically identical. Taeyong didn’t give a speech at this one. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything. None of these people deserved to hear about the bond that the brothers shared. 

Minseo sat to his side, eyes completely dry but gaze empty. They clutched onto each other’s hands for dear life. Her diamond ring pressed into Taeyong’s leg, a constant reminder of what should have been. Mark should have had a long life with his beautiful wife. Taeyong should have been an uncle. Mark should not be lying cold in a casket right now. 

Taeyong couldn’t sit still anymore, getting up and walking out of the funeral. Minseo followed after him as he strolled down the walkway, avoiding the curious glances from people he didn’t give two shits about.

When he made it outside to the back alleyway, he let the door close behind him and Minseo before he screamed as loud as he could. He was hoping the outburst would take every negative thing with it, but instead, he still felt empty. He turned to see Mark’s fiance covering her mouth, tears streaking down her face.

“I’m so sorry.” The words came out broken as he pulled the woman into him, hugging her tightly.

Minseo’s choked sobs were muffled by Taeyong’s shirt. “This all is so fucked up, isn’t it?”

“It should have been me.”

“Taeyong, don’t say things like that.”

“They thought he was me.” Taeyong said to no one. Both of them knew what the intentions were when Mark died.

“I saw the letter. Don’t devalue your life because you’re mourning Mark.” Minseo leaned back. “We can’t change things but don’t let yourself take the blame when it’s not your fault.”

“It’s hard to think that way.”

“Taeyong, you’re like a brother to me. Losing Mark is hard enough, but I don’t want to lose you either. I don’t want to lose the person I’ve gotten close to. Don’t let this ruin you.”

“You will always be my sister. Always, Minseo.” Taeyong wiped her tears away with his thumb. “Please stay in touch.”

“Don’t give me that ‘stay in touch’ bullshit. You’re never getting rid of me.” She smiled at him before hugging him once more. “We should probably go back inside. Jaehyun will be worried.”

They walked back into the memorial, arm in arm and stronger together. They stayed together through the end of the ceremony and all the way to the reading of the will. Here was where the piranhas surfaced, greedy for a piece of the pie. Of course, they got nothing. Taeyong got the company and Minseo got all property and money in Mark’s name.

Taeyong’s mother stood up, demanding an explanation. Taeyong didn’t have the energy to stand up for himself and he didn’t want Minseo to carry this by herself. He was relieved when Jaehyun pushed himself off the wall behind the table, standing directly in front of the enraged woman. 

“You did nothing for Mark his entire life, but you expect him to give you money? You’re nothing more than a greedy  _ bitch  _ and I’m glad people are done rewarding your behavior. You get nothing, Mrs. Lee. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Leave this room or I can escort you out of it.”

“That was my son. How dare you?” The older woman shouted. “For him to leave me nothing is a slap in the face.”

“That was my  _ brother _ . You were nothing to him. Taeyong raised him. That boy meant nothing to you until he died and you could profit off of it. Once again. Get out or I can make you.”

Taeyong’s mother was the vision of fury as she grabbed her purse and stormed out of the room. Jaehyun took a chance to look at everyone else sitting at the table. “Anyone else want to argue or are you ready to get the fuck out of this room?”

Minseo stared wide-eyed as the rest of the family filed out of the room, leaving three bodies and the lawyer.

Jaehyun sank down into the chair next to Taeyong, resting his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. “Mark doesn’t deserve such good for nothing family.”

“Thank you, Jae. Really.” Minseo spoke from beside Taeyong before turning her attention back to the lawyer.

Taeyong felt all the rage Jaehyun felt. His mother did nothing their whole life, but now she wants money from Mark’s death. Everything Jaehyun said was right. It was taking all he had to remain sitting and providing Minseo support. He clenched his hands into fists, attempting to control his anger and frustrations. By the time Minseo’s mom opened the door, Taeyong was about ready to come out of his skin.

Minseo gave an understanding smile. “Go. I have my mom. Get out of here, yeah?”

Taeyong nodded, standing up and pressing a kiss to the top of her head before walking out.

The ride back to Jaehyun’s apartment was silent. There wasn’t anything to say anymore. Taeyong was broken and infuriated and hurting and miserable. He didn’t know how to cope with the emotions making his chest so tight that he couldn’t breathe. 

As soon as he got back to Jaehyun’s place, he spotted the suitcase on the floor. Doyoung must have packed it up for him. He appreciated not having to do all that on his own but he needed to get out of Jaehyun’s hair soon. His best friend had mourning of his own to do. He walked around the bag on the floor, making his way to the kitchen. Doyoung sat at the bar, waiting for the two new CEO’s to make their way home. He handed Taeyong a glass and as soon as the older got his hand around the cold surface, he remembered the feeling of throwing one just like this the night Mark died.

He let all his emotions come to the surface as he smashed the glass on the ground. Doyoung just sat there as Taeyong opened the cabinets, grabbing plates and throwing them as hard as he could. Jaehyun was nowhere to be found so he just kept going. He couldn’t even hear his own crying over the sound of shattering glass. Glasses, plates, and bowls all littered the floor in their broken pieces. 

Just as he was about to throw another plate, Jaehyun grabbed his wrist, taking the plate out of his hands and setting it on the counter. “It will be okay.”

Taeyong cried once more. “She…”

“I know. I know. You don’t ever have to see her again.”

The tears ran down Taeyong’s face as he looked at his best friend. He was his rock. He stayed strong this whole week despite his own pain and all Taeyong could do was be thankful for his presence. He pulled the taller man into a hug, holding on tightly. 

Jaehyun whispered into his hair. “You’re the best person I’ve ever known, Taeyong. Your sacrifices will pay off one day and we’ll both be alive to see it.”

Taeyong sat for a second, soaking in his words. After everything he had put Jaehyun through, his best friend still thought so highly of him. He gave up everything for Taeyong and didn’t even care. Taeyong needed to start giving some of that effort back to him. “I’m sorry I haven’t given you any time to work through your own feelings.”

“I’m okay. I’m not coming in until Monday. ___ will be back. I have time.” Jaehyun reassured him. 

“I may… spend the afternoon alone if that’s alright.”

“It’s more than okay. Come find me if you need to.”

Taeyong nodded. The last thing he saw was Doyoung standing up to grab a broom.

“Nah, Leave it. Cleaning will make me feel better.” Jaehyun offered.

The weekend back at his place was almost refreshing. He forced himself to go to the office on Sunday just for the sake of getting back into a routine. He didn’t do anything most of the day, but just being at his desk made him feel like he was taking a step forward. 

He looked at the skyline, remembering the first time Mark came to the office. His hands pressed against the glass before eventually just smushing his whole face against the clear surface, amazement filling his eyes. Taeyong couldn’t help but smile at the memory. If only he knew what he was getting into all the way back then.

Doyoung walking into his office brought his attention back to the present, the image of young Mark slipping away despite Taeyong wanting to burn it in the forefront of his memory.

Doyoung’s breathing was heavy and labored. “Taeyong, I found the leak. It’s Johnny.”

The next twenty-four hours were spent strictly strategizing. The first half just with Doyoung and the second half just with Jaehyun. Jaehyun had it in his mind that he was going to end this all tonight. It was probably the fear of having someone like that this close to everyone he cared about. Taeyong understood his haste but at the same time, he mentally couldn’t handle this stress. It had only been a week since Mark passed and now Jaehyun was wanting to throw himself directly into the line of danger by inviting Johnny into his house. 

When Jaehyun left the office that Monday afternoon, Taeyong felt as if he was watching his world go up in flames. Jaehyun was fully capable of taking care of himself, but he just didn’t know if he would ever be able to live if he lost Jaehyun too.

He got up from his desk, unable to sit any longer. His apartment was close to Jaehyun’s making it easily accessible. Grabbing Doyoung on his way out, he finally went back to the comfort of his home after spending two days straight in the office. Doyoung chattered mindlessly to try and help with Taeyong’s nerves. It didn’t do much, but he appreciated the sentiment. Before he was even able to get out of his car, his phone rang with Jaehyun’s name flashing on the screen. Taeyong let out a sigh of relief answering the phone.

“Jaehyun?”

“Taeyong, it’s ___.” She stammered, clearly upset. “Can you please send someone? We’re at the apartment and I-”

Taeyong cut her off, restarting his car. “We’re on our way. Apply pressure.”

As soon as he hung up, he regretted not staying on the phone with her but he didn’t have time to worry about that. He needed to get to Jaehyun.

Doyoung stayed silent, understanding what was going on. He sat in the passenger seat as he prepared himself for what he was about to walk into. Taeyong pulled into the apartment complex’s garage as fast as he could before getting out and storming up to the elevator. He was happy to find that once they got to Jaehyun’s apartment, the door was wide open. Taeyong and Doyoung wasted no time walking in.

As soon as Taeyong rounded the corner, he saw Jaehyun’s body slumped against his girlfriend. One shot was lodged in his shoulder while another was in his chest by the way the woman’s hands were pushing on him. 

Doyoung wasted no time wrapping Jaehyun’s shoulders the best he could with what he had in the apartment. Jaehyun’s girlfriend stood up, moving to the side. She was completely covered in Jaehyun’s blood and Taeyong felt like he could vomit at the sight. He could lose Jaehyun if they didn’t hurry. 

Doyoung looked up at Taeyong, waving him over. “Johnny really did a number on him.”

“I don’t understand how he even was able to shoot him. Jaehyun usually finishes the job before the target even gets a chance to do anything.” Taeyong lifted Jaehyun’s legs while Doyoung had a grip under his arms. Taeyong looked at the girl standing in the middle of the kitchen before walking towards the door of the apartment. “___, come with us. You need to sit in the back and be there if he wakes up.”

“Leave the door unlocked. Jungwoo will be here to clean up Johnny’s body here in a minute. Put a key on the counter and he’ll lock up when he leaves.” Doyoung added as they made their way to the elevator.

She nodded, moving quickly to take Jaehyun’s keys and leave them on the entry table before making her way out of the apartment.

“Jaehyun. I swear to God if you die on me, I’ll never forgive you.” Taeyong whispered. A week ago. Seven days. That was as long as it had been since Mark died. He didn’t have the strength to sit through another funeral and be left with no one.

Doyoung looked at the man sympathetically, clearly understanding what all was weighing on this. “I’ll drive. You watch Jaehyun and help ___ if she needs it.”

Taeyong propped Jaehyun’s upper body on his knee while opening the door before carefully easing him into the back seat. His girlfriend moved to the other side of the car, propping his head up in her lap. She tenderly brushed his hair out of his face. It felt like he was watching a different version of Mark’s death. Minseo had seen the whole thing just like Jaehyun’s girlfriend probably had. He was walking out to her car when someone landed a fatal shot from above in hopes of taking out Taeyong. His chest burned imagining what both women went through. One was experiencing it in this very moment and all Taeyong could do was sit there, silenced by his own pain. 

The drive to the hospital was excruciatingly long. Jaehyun was quickly losing color and Taeyong’s hope was going along with it. He gripped the handle of the door tightly, preparing to jump out as soon as they arrived.

The second Doyoung pulled into the drive-up of the ER, Taeyong ran inside, seeking any kind of help despite the fact that there was really only one person he wanted handling Jaehyun. Employees from the hospital rushed out while Taeyong begged them to get him to Kun, following the group of nurses wheeling Jaehyun through the hallway. He eventually had to stop as they reached a checkpoint where only medical personnel could proceed. Taeyong turned, running his hands through his hair and gripping it a little too tightly to be tolerable.

Jaehyun’s girlfriend stood in the middle of the hallway, tears drenching her face with her blood-stained hands. Taeyong knew he looked similarly after he held Jaehyun. The both of them were clearly fucking terrified of the prospect of losing someone they both cared for so much.

“What happened? I need to know what happened.” Taeyong yelled at her and Doyoung, eyes in a panic. He didn’t mean to be so harsh knowing Jaehyun was someone they cared about too, but he couldn’t help it.

Her eyes pleaded with him as the three of them stood in the middle of the general waiting room with everyone staring.

She was the first one to respond seeing as she was there when it happened. “I walked in at the last second. I can tell you, but we need to go somewhere more private.”

Her answer remained vague but Taeyong knew why. He didn’t even answer, just took off in the direction that they came. Doyoung made quick strides to follow him leaving Jaehyun’s girlfriend jogging to catch up. He took a turn into the first secluded area he found, turning and looking at the woman behind him as he waited for a better explanation.

She took a deep breath, trying her best to get her emotions under control. “I shot Johnny.”

Taeyong looked at her, face clearly portraying his disbelief. “What would have happened if you didn’t?”

“Jaehyun would have died.” She admitted. The words came out of her mouth in a hoarse whisper. “Johnny had him pinned down with a gun to his chest. The only reason he got out was because I shot Johnny’s arm and Jae was able to grab his gun.”

Taeyong stood for a second, seemingly processing the situation Jaehyun was in before turning to his friend. “Doyoung, I need you to do something for me.”

Doyoung simply nodded.

“I need you to go back to the office and take over for a bit. I’m not leaving until Jaehyun does.”

“I can do that.” Doyoung gave him a weak smile. No one wanted to leave but there was no way all three men could be away from the office. “Keep me updated.”

“I will,” Taeyong assured him before continuing. “On your way to the office, call Jungwoo and make sure everything went okay. The last thing I need is that bastard somehow slipping out and surviving.”

Doyoung muttered an acknowledgment before turning and leaving the hospital.

Taeyong looked at the only person he was left with, eyes brimming with tears. At this point, it was clear there had been non-stop crying from the stress, fear, and realization of what was happening.

“We should probably head back to the waiting room, huh?” Taeyong asked.

She looked down at her clothing before giving Taeyong a once over, eyes stopping at all the spots of blood on their clothing. “Can we buy some different shirts first? I don’t want to be wearing a constant reminder that my boyfriend could die.”

“Could die, but won’t. I trust Dr. Qian. I will not lose Jaehyun, too.” His voice still shook a little bit because of his fear but Jaehyun was with Kun now. There was no way he wouldn’t survive. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

The two bought a couple of cheap sweatshirts from the shop before changing quickly and making their way to the lobby. Silence filled the space between them so naturally. Taeyong didn’t know her well and had a hard time making a conversation when they were both filled with fear of what could be. They sat quietly in the waiting room as Taeyong stared ahead of him at the blank wall, hoping that its monotony would keep him grounded.

Jaehyun’s girlfriend placed a hand on his knee and he was quickly reminded of her presence. It was oddly comforting to have her here with him. They were both experiencing the same thing openly, and for the first time in a while, Taeyong didn’t feel alone. He reached out and patted her hand, squeezing it before moving away and looking at her.

“I’m sorry for the way I treated you at first.” He whispered. She didn’t deserve the bullshit he put her through and he knew that now.

“Taeyong, after knowing you for a bit, I know it was to protect yourself and Jaehyun. I’m not mad at you for it.” She said, looking down at her lap.

“I know but just… seeing you with him and seeing you now. I feel like shit for treating you how I did and making you jump through all these hoops. I should have trusted Jaehyun’s judgment.” She was there for Jaehyun through all of this. She found he was an assassin and chose to sign a contract signing away her life instead of just running. That should have been sacrifice enough, but Taeyong kept throwing out obstacles and tests as she masqueraded them around as strategies he had no choice but to use.

“To be fair, we met in a bar.” She joked lightly

“You were drugged.” Taeyong reminded her.

“Yes, but that is a part that I choose to avoid mentioning to any friends and family.” She pointed a finger at him before letting her smile fall again.

“Just accept my apology.” Taeyong sighed in teasing exasperation. “I don’t say sorry often.”

“I forgive you, Taeyong.” It was sincere. After everything Taeyong had put her through, she was so quick to extend kindness. He almost wished he could do this all again and get closer to her and Jaehyun as a couple instead of driving a wedge between them and himself.

“I have a lot of respect for you, honestly,” she admitted. “Running a company isn’t easy and you do it well.”

Taeyong didn’t understand her or Jaehyun for saying things like that. Taeyong was weak. He was someone who caved under pressure and hurt the ones closest to him. Not only that, but he continually threw people in harm’s way without a second thought. He let Jaehyun walk into his apartment with Johnny and no backup.

“Not well enough to keep Jaehyun out of the hospital.” He mumbled, sinking down and resting his head on the back of the chair.

“Taeyong, that isn’t your fault.” She reassured him, but he knew it was.

“It’s hard not to feel like it is. I dragged him into this. I’m the reason he was even in that position. He should have finished college and been an accountant or something else that’s safe.”

She sighed, giving him a soft knowing smile. “It’s not dragging him into this if he came willingly.”

“He didn’t know what he was signing up for.”

“And he could have left once he learned.” She lowered her voice before continuing. “You wouldn’t have killed him and I think we all know that.”

“It’s hard to think that way when the only person you have left is possibly dying.”

“Hey, don’t think that way. You said it yourself. He won’t die.”

He nodded.

“And you keep saying you only have Jaehyun, but Doyoung does anything you ask of him. I’m here talking to you and trying to help you when I could be sitting on the opposite side of the room, wallowing in my own fear and anxiety. You have more people than you realize.”

“I’m being so selfish. It’s your boyfriend.”

“But it’s your best friend and partner. My pain is not any greater than yours.” She told him. Her voice was so kind, it was easy to see how Jaehyun fell for her and chose to trust her.

He looked at her for a second, mind going a mile a minute with the way his eyes scanned her face. He had so much admiration for this woman in this very moment. She was everything Taeyong could have ever wanted for his best friend. She was patient, kind, and supportive. She was willing to help someone she barely even knew just like how Jaehyun always had been. “I couldn’t have picked anyone better for Jaehyun than you. I want you to know that.”

“Thank you, Taeyong.”

Silence settled between the two once again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable this time. They knew now that they had each other. It was the beginning of a step in the right direction for the pair. Taeyong thought that maybe he could have a positive relationship with her just like he did with Minseo.

He looked over at her, noticing the way her blinks kept getting longer and her eyelids drooped to the point they were almost closed.. “Go to sleep. We don’t know how long it will be before we can see him. I’ll wake you up when Dr. Qian comes out.”

“What about you?”

“My adrenaline is still pumping from seeing him like that. I don’t think I can sleep right now.”

She nodded, closing her eyes and getting comfortable in the hard hospital chair. It was only minutes later that she fell asleep, breaths slowing and body stilling.

Taeyong spent about an hour with his own thoughts. He tried to reassure himself by saying it was taking so long because it was successful, but it was hard to maintain positivity when he knew his reality. Taeyong didn’t always have the best of luck in life, but surely he wasn’t bad enough of a person to be punished so deeply by losing both of his brothers in a week.

He saw Kun walk through the swinging door, greeting Taeyong with a small smile. 

Taeyong woke the girl next to him up by shaking her lightly. “Hey, the doctor is here and I don’t want to talk to him without you.”

She nodded, blinking away the remaining fatigue and standing up. Taeyong led you to the man waiting by the door.

“Taeyong. I wish I could say it was nice to see you again, but I’m very sorry about the circumstances.” His old friend said to him.

“Thank you, Kun.” He shook his hand. “How is he?”

“Let’s take a walk.” Kun nodded down the less crowded hallway. “I’m Dr. Qian, by the way. I haven’t met you before.” He spoke to the woman beside them.

“___. I’m Jaehyun’s girlfriend.” She introduced herself, nodding towards him.

“Lucky him.” He gave her a smile.

Taeyong missed Kun. The doctor had a way of making anyone feel at ease no matter the situation they were in. Right now, he felt nothing but peace surprisingly.

Once they reached a more private area, Dr. Qian faced the two. “I’m going to be honest with you. He lost a lot of blood. One shot was directly into his shoulder so that’s not anything of serious concern. The other grazed his subclavian artery by his collarbone. We were able to control the bleeding and have a successful blood transfusion, but he’s going to be very weak for the next few days.”

“That’s incredible.” Taeyong let out a huge breath, relieved in a way that words cannot express.

“Now he did also receive a concussion. Unfortunately, we aren’t aware of the severity of it yet and we’ll have to perform a few tests when he wakes up. Other than that, he is okay. He’s in stable condition. After we figure out the severity of his brain injury, you’ll be able to see him.”

“Thank you, Kun. For everything. I really appreciate it.” Taeyong replied, squeezing the man’s forearm.

“Of course.” He nodded towards him. “Hopefully, I’ll be back soon to be taking you to see him.” He turned and walked away leaving the pair standing in the hallway.

“Holy shit. He’s okay.” Taeyong clasped his hands behind his head, letting out a long breath. Jaehyun was okay. 

Taeyong turned towards Jaehyun’s girlfriend, pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as they struggled to contain their excitement. Taeyong took a deep breath before whispering. “Thank you again. If he didn’t have you, he would be dead right now.”

“Let’s not think about the what if’s. He’s okay.” She leaned back, patting him on the shoulder.

Taeyong nodded before fishing out his phone from his pocket. “You go back to the waiting room. I’m going to call Doyoung.”

She nodded, walking away from him and back inside the hospital.

Doyoung answered on the first ring, pleading for any updates on Jaehyun. After confirming he was okay, Doyoung let Taeyong know that Johnny’s body was successfully disposed of. The phone call was quick.

Taeyong didn’t want to be too far away from the waiting room when Jaehyun could wake up any minute. While making his way back to the small room, he saw Jaehyun’s girlfriend, curled up in a ball against the wall, shoulders shaking with sobs. Taeyong walked over to her, sliding down the wall. When he was sitting next to her, he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled him into his side. His hand moved in gentle circles over her back when she worked through all her feelings. He didn’t want to talk. He knew what it was like to not be able to hold things in anymore and the last thing he would want is for someone to try and talk it out with him. 

When she had finally calmed down, Taeyong continued rubbing her back before encouraging her to stand up. “Let’s go okay? I bet he’ll be awake soon.”

“I probably look like shit.” She groaned, rubbing at her eyes.

“You really don’t. It just looks like you’ve been crying.”

She looked at him, pretending to be unamused. “Okay, let’s go.”

Before they could even reach the waiting room, Dr. Qian found them. “He’s awake if you would like to go see him. He has a mild concussion, but he should be fine and back to normal in about six weeks.” He turned to Taeyong. “He’s gonna need some time off.”

“He’s going to be getting plenty. There’s no way he could shoot a gun in his state.” Taeyong acknowledged, hoping to give Kun some peace of mind. Kun was always so strict about work when Lee employees got released from his care. 

“You think he’s going to want to keep his position?” Dr. Qian asked, brows furrowed.

Taeyong shook his head. From here on out, he wanted Jaehyun as far away from the field as possible. “He’s taking Mark’s place. I’m going to urge him to pick someone to fill his position.”

“I have a feeling he already plans on doing that. Especially after today. He was never really a huge fan of his old position even though he’s incredibly good at it.” Kun acknowledged, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“No, I guess you’re right.” Taeyong sighed. He only did it just to protect him. “Well, thank you again.”

“I hope to see you soon in better circumstances.” 

“Yes, with both of our crazy amounts of free time.” Taeyong joked.

Kun laughed softly. “Go see Jaehyun. He was asking for you two.”

“He knows?” Jaehyun’s girlfriend asked inquisitively. Taeyong realized she didn’t know who knew and who didn’t.

He nodded. “He knows everything. He was an acquaintance in college and I knew he was going to be a doctor. The first time someone in my company got hurt, I called him in a panic. I told him everything because I was scared of the questions I might get and what might happen to the company. He agreed to take any of my employees and he would never question what happened or how. He would help them and release them.”

“I’m glad you have that.”

“Me too, or multiple people would have been left to die for fear of the police finding out,” Taeyong admitted.

When they finally got to Jaehyun’s room, the man in the hospital bed gave the two a weak smile. “Hey.”

“Hey, babe. How are you feeling?” She asked, making her way over to the side of the bed to sit in a chair there.

He grabbed her hand. “My mouth is dry, my head hurts, and my shoulders feel like a bullet ripped through them. Other than that, I’m fine.”

“Still have a sense of humor, I see.” Taeyong pointed out, leaning against the wall behind them. It was sweet to see the two interact so naturally given Jaehyun’s state.

“I would be shrugging right now but I think I’m gonna keep my shoulders still.” Jaehyun teased, voice still cracking in places.

“You wanna talk about what happened?” She whispered, running her thumb along the back of his hand.

He turned his head a little more so he could see her better. “Yes, but first do you wanna tell me why you came home when I specifically told you to stay with Sooyeon?”

“You never told me that.” She looked at him confused. Taeyong didn’t quite understand either.

“Yes, I did. I texted you.” He looked at her, clearly frustrated by having his girlfriend ignore him

“My phone died.” She murmured.

“Well, I guess I should be thanking your phone because if it weren’t for you I would have been dead.” He took a deep breath. “Were you aiming for his arm?”

“His neck.” She admitted. Taeyong had to hold back a laugh. She had missed by quite a bit but the shot got the job done. 

Jaehyun gave a small nod. “Well, you shooting him in the arm worked better because it made him drop the gun.”

“You’re alive, Jaehyun. That’s all that matters.” Taeyong told him.

“Yong, he knew. He knew I was the CEO. He knew we were onto him. He basically pulled his gun the second we got into the apartment.”

He nodded in response. With the way Johnny was so eager to get together, Taeyong was suspicious of the whole interaction. “I had a feeling that was the case. Why else would he want to go to an apartment to celebrate instead of one of the clubs.”

“I know. It was stupid of me to agree, but I saw this as a chance.” Jaehyun sighed. Jaehyun had always been hard on himself. Now was no exception.

“I don’t want you taking chances anymore,” Taeyong told him sternly.

“I won’t I just-”

Taeyong interrupted him. “No, I mean I don’t want you to be our assassin anymore. Being a CEO is enough.”

“I was planning on doing that, I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want to leave it all to Ten.” 

Taeyong was glad Jaehyun was smart enough not to leave it all to the other assassin. The building would burn down if every assignment was put in that man’s hands.

“Pick someone else and train them,” Taeyong said. His father ruled with an iron fist and that was the one thing Taeyong learned from him. Trust your employees. Taeyong trusted Jaehyun to make the right decision and help the company.

“Okay. I will.”

“Thank you.” Taeyong felt as if the entire world was lifted off his shoulders. Jaehyun would be safe.

“If you don’t mind, I may go to sleep again.” Jaehyun sighed and the two visitors took that as their sign to go. Jaehyun grabbed his girlfriend’s wrist, keeping her from walking behind Taeyong. “___, stay here. Please.”

She sat back down while Taeyong smiled at the two of them, walking out of the room. The best thing for him to do would be to go home and sleep. He had a long few weeks ahead of him since he was forcing Jaehyun to be out of commission, but he was thankful for the workload. Soon, he would have Jaehyun by his side helping him with everything from here on out. There would be nothing to hide and no reason to try and protect him from any of the dangers of the company.

As he walked out of the hospital that night, Taeyong smiled. He had Jaehyun and right now, that was all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> im so grateful for the messgaes i got from you guys asking for taeyong's story. i wanted to write it so it makes me happy knowing someone wants to read it. i hope it lives up to expectations!


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